Exploring the Impact of Informational Factors in Online Reviews on Review Helpfulness

Helpful online reviews provide customers with valuable information, reduce uncertainties, and support purchasing decisions. Although previous studies have identified various factors that influence review helpfulness, the relationship between informational elements and review helpfulness requires further analysis and clarification. This study analyzed online shopping review, revealing that the impact of text length and number of images on review helpfulness is nonlinear, exhibiting an inverted U-shaped effect. Additionally, our study confirmed that videos significantly enhanced perceived helpfulness and that the information richness of a review positively influenced its helpfulness. The moderating effect of product type shows that the relationship between review length, images, videos, and the richness of information provided by these factors and review helpfulness is stronger for experience goods than for search goods. The analysis explains the influence and significance of various content components in shaping online reviews and their influence on aiding information processing for online shopping. These findings deepen our understanding of the role of online review structures in evaluating review helpfulness, assist platforms in formulating more effective strategies for review generation and recommendations, and guide reviewers in writing reviews that are more beneficial to potential customers.