Do we order product review information display? How?

• We examine the review order effect on customer evaluations.
• Ordered reviews are more helpful than random ones.
• Ordered reviews are easier to comprehend than random ones.
• Product type moderates the effect of ordered reviews on review helpfulness.

This article examines whether (if so, how) ordered (versus random) product review display would be more helpful and easier to comprehend. The results from a set of experiments show that product reviews ordered by their types (i.e., presenting an attribute/experience-based review before another type) are perceived to be more helpful and easier to comprehend. We further observed that displays of attribute-based product reviews followed by experience-based product reviews are perceived to be more helpful for a search product. Likewise, displays of experience-based product reviews followed by attribute-based product reviews are more helpful for an experience product.