Balance and Sequence in Online Reviews: How Perceived Usefulness Affects Attitudes and Intentions

This paper is the first study that investigates the impact of balance (the ratio of positive and negative reviews) and sequence (the order in which the reviews are presented) of a set of online reviews on the perceived usefulness of these reviews (objective 1). As a second objective, our study attempts to provide more understanding in the gatekeeping role of the perceived usefulness. The results do not only evidence that review balance matters, but also reveal that review sequence has an important effect on the perceived usefulness of a set of reviews. The crucial role of perceived usefulness is demonstrated in that only when reviews are perceived as relatively useful, recall of positive and negative review information affects attitude and intention formation through the impression it creates about the object.

► Positive or negative balance review sets are found more useful than neutral balance.
► “Wrapping” can enhance the reviews' perceived usefulness.
► For useful reviews, impression mediates the effect of positive recall on attitude/intention.