An Intervention for Increasing Intention to Post Online Customer Reviews

Online customer reviews of products and services are essential for facilitating trust and efficient e-commerce. The review system depends crucially on consumers’ voluntary provision of reviews, yet most consumers consult others’ reviews while few consumers post their own reviews. The current research (1) empirically assessed motivations to post and not to post reviews, (2) tested messages inspired from behavioral-intervention theories to encourage online reviewing, and (3) manipulated when the message was presented to online shoppers. Unlike previous findings in other domains, messages that invoked norms or moralization were not successful in motivating online reviewing. Instead, the authors discovered novel message content and interactive presentations that successfully increased review intention. The content addressed motivations assessed in the initial studies and was stated with low threat to avoid reactance. Crucially, the message was presented interactively in real time during shopping instead of after purchase.