Can Brand Reputation Improve the Odds of Being Reviewed On-Line?

Recent research has reinforced the importance of product reviews in e-commerce. Since posting and maintaining on-line reviews is quite inexpensive, most e-business sites keep them for the entire duration of a product offering. Few products enjoy a steady stream of new reviews. A longitudinal study measured the impact of brand and pooled reputation on the odds of additional reviews being posted. The model was tested by an analysis of 395 e-books sold by Amazon.com over a period of six months. The analysis suggests that goods that start with a highly rated brand are more likely to have additional reviews posted than goods with an initial poorly rated brand. Early pooled reputation of complementary goods also influences the posting of additional reviews. A key practical recommendation is that firms can improve their on-line sales performance by managing their brand portfolio in ways that improve the odds of generating more reviews of their products.