ABSTRACT
This research attempts to understand the mechanisms underlying the differential impacts of online consumer reviews, using the concept of cognitive personalization. In two experiments, the authors show that the level of cognitive personalization developed while reading an online review influences consumers’ purchase intentions. The level of cognitive personalization is a function of the reader’s affect intensity, the nature of the product reviewed (experience vs. search), and the content of the review (experiential vs. factual); in addition, the effect of cognitive personalization on purchase intention is moderated by valence (positive vs. negative).
Additional information
Lan Xia (Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is an Assistant Professor in the Marketing Department at Bentley College. Her major areas of research include consumer information processing, behavioral pricing, and online consumer behaviors. Her work has appeared in Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Interactive Marketing, and Journal of Product and Brand management. Email: [email protected].
Nada Nasr Bechwati (DBA, Boston University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at Bentley College. Her research interests focus on the link between the purchase process consumers go through and their post-purchase behavior. She has published, among other scholarly journals, in Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Venture, and the American Statistician. Email: [email protected]