| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1014956 | European Management Journal | 2014 | 11 Pages |
•We examine the determinants of product sequel reviews.•Reviews of past editions positively affect the reviews of product sequels.•The sales of past editions positively affect the reviews of product sequels.•The lack of consensus weakens the effect of past reviews of the same type.•The lack of consensus strengthens the effect of sales of previous editions.
Product reviews are assumed to be based on the observable characteristics of the underlying product. However, in the case of new editions in a product series, the determinants may include signals that originate from the reviews and the sales of editions that precede the focal product edition. Our analysis of 577 video games released in a series between 2000 and 2009 indicates that the reviews of earlier versions carry over to the reviews of the sequel by the same type of reviewer. We also find that expert reviews are influenced by the average review of previous editions by consumers and the average sales of previous editions of the product. This suggests that experts tend to adapt to the taste of consumers. Furthermore, it is found that a lack of consensus, between reviewers of a particular type, weakens the impact of average past reviews, whilst it magnifies the impact of the sales of earlier versions.
