| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 886264 | Journal of Retailing | 2014 | 15 Pages |
•Online reviews posted at different times influence consumer preferences differently.•Specifically, recent reviews are more influential for near-future purchase decisions.•While out-dated reviews are more influential for distant-future purchase decisions.•The construal fit between the online reviews and the decision timeframes underlie the effects.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the most recent online reviews may have a greater impact than out-dated online reviews on consumers’ purchase decisions because of their up-to-date nature. However, building on the theory of temporal distance and construal fit, this study proposes a new perspective, suggesting that the influence of online reviews posted at different times is a function of the timeframe for the consumers’ intended purchase. Four experiments demonstrate that although recent online reviews are more influential in shifting consumer preferences towards near-future consumption decisions, the relative influence of out-dated online reviews in shifting consumer preferences increases when consumers are making distant-future consumption decisions. This effect occurs because of a construal fit between the construal level of the online reviews posted at different times and that of the timeframe of consumers’ purchase decisions. The recent reviews are represented at a relatively lower construal level, with the low-level construal matching the timeframe of the near-future consumption decision. Out-dated reviews, however, are represented at a relatively higher construal level and match the timeframe of the distant-future consumption decision. This construal fit, in turn, enhances consumer engagement and consequently exerts a greater influence on consumer preferences.
Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide
