Enhancing the impact of online hotel reviews through the use of emoticons

ABSTRACT

Online consumer reviews (OCRs) have received increasing scrutiny in recent years. The present study focuses on the effect of OCRs on consumers’ perceptions and attitudes, when pictorial representation of consumer emotions is used in online hotel reviews. A 2 × 2 experimental study is designed to examine the effect of two independent variables: review valence (positive vs. negative) and emoticons use (no emoticons vs. emoticons). Research findings show that positive OCRs result in more positive attitude and higher booking intention. Interestingly, the presence of emoticons in negative reviews strengthens the review credibility and usefulness, but attenuates consumers’ attitude towards the hotel and their booking intention. Managerial implications and research opportunities are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Review valence
• emoticons
• usefulness
• credibility
• booking intention

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank two anonymous referees of this journal for their constructive comments, and the Editor, Professor Yujong Hwang for his support and encouragement.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The research paper is implemented within the framework of the Action ‘Supporting Postdoctoral Researchers’ of the Operational Program ‘Education and Lifelong Learning’ (Action’s Beneficiary: General Secretariat for Research and Technology), and is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Greek State.