Review Characteristics Influencing Review Credibility For Health Products On Online Marketplaces

Abstract

Ever since the happening of COVID-19, the popularity of e-commerce and the willingness to pay more for health have gradually increased over time. With that, understanding what makes a review credible for consumer health products in an e commerce environment like online marketplace has become important for both academics and practitioners. Thus, the study was set out to investigate which content related characteristics of an online review for health products consumers usually rely on to judge its credibility. The five characteristics in question are: accuracy, completeness, timeliness, review sidedness, and review consistency. Additionally, the study also examined the effects under different degrees of expertise and involvement. With the theoretical help of ELM (Elaboration Likelihood Model), the research model was then established. Using an online survey, data was collected from shoppers in the online marketplaces who satisfied the two criteria: had previously looked for or bought health products; and read the reviews from the online marketplaces. Data analysis was then operated using PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling). The final results, consistent with previous research, showed the positive effect of accuracy, completeness, and review sidedness on review credibility. Review consistency and timeliness, however, did not have any significant effect. The results also revealed that accuracy and completeness respond well with high and low expertise respectively, while review sidedness is indifferent towards both levels. Involvement, however, did not express any significant interaction effects with any information cues. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings were also discussed at the end of this study.