Effect of Online Customer Review Characteristics on Branding Outcomes and Purchase Intention Insights from Multiple Experiments

Abstract

newlineThe background to this study can be summarized in three key points, the newlineexplosion of internet, exponential growth in e-commerce and increased usage of newlineonline customer reviews. Online customer reviews will continue being a significant newlinecomponent of electronic commerce as a measure to overcome its inherent limitation newlineof intangibility. The academic literature in the domain is in a rapidly growing phase, newlinehand in hand with the evolution of electronic commerce fueled by developments in newlineinformation and communication technologies. newlineWith its short history of about two decades and increasing popularity as a newlineresearch domain, the research is happening in all directions. However, there are lot newlineof research gaps existing especially due to its recent origin and due to ever changing newlinetechnology scenario. Today, customers level of access to information and choices newlineavailable over internet has drastically changed the marketing scenario. Brands has newlineto stand out to get noticed, differentiated, recalled, discussed about and chosen. The newlinerole of consumers has also changed as they are not simple consumers of newlineinformation, but are capable to generate brand related content over the internet and newlinecapable to communicate with fellow customers as well as marketers. They are newlineplaying much important role in brand building process and shaping brands. newlineHowever, there seem to be much smaller number of studies that consider online newlinecustomer reviews as a opportunity or challenge for branding on the internet. Hence newlinethis study attempts to connect online customer reviews with branding related newlineoutcomes as well as add more empirical evidence to the relationship between newlinereviews and purchase intentions. The objective of the study was to explore the cause-and-effect relationship newlinebetween selected online customer review characteristics and various branding newlinerelated outcomes and purchase intention. newline