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When is enough, enough? Investigating product reviews and information overload from a consumer empowerment perspective

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  • Hu, Han-fen
  • Krishen, Anjala S.

Abstract

This study focuses on consumers' processing of online reviews as an empowering experience. We investigate how decision support information (i.e., online reviews) can lead to information overload and decision difficulty, and ultimately affect decision satisfaction. A series of three experimental studies with subjects from a professional marketing agency examine the influence of self-determined review quantity and perceived review quality on satisfaction, as well as the mediating effects of information overload and decision difficulty. Our results show that the effect of perceived review quality on information overload is enhanced when the consumer chooses to read more reviews. Individual characteristics are also relevant; consumers' product knowledge moderates the mediating effect of decision difficulty on satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by (1) investigating how the characteristics of decision support information affect decision process and outcome, and (2) exploring the boundary conditions wherein online reviews can empower but also overload consumers under various decision contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Han-fen & Krishen, Anjala S., 2019. "When is enough, enough? Investigating product reviews and information overload from a consumer empowerment perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 27-37.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:100:y:2019:i:c:p:27-37
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.03.011
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    Cited by:

    1. Ante, Lennart, 2023. "How Elon Musk's Twitter activity moves cryptocurrency markets," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    2. Weiwei Jia & Han Li & Meimei Jiang & Liang Wu, 2023. "Melting the Psychological Boundary: How Interactive and Sensory Affordance Influence Users’ Adoption of Digital Heritage Service," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-21, February.
    3. Bedggood, Rowan & Russell-Bennett, Rebekah & McAndrew, Ryan & Glavas, Charmaine & Dulleck, Uwe, 2023. "Challenging the social-power paradigm: Moving beyond consumer empowerment to an energy ecosystem of shared value," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    4. Shaikh, Aijaz A. & Glavee-Geo, Richard & Karjaluoto, Heikki & Hinson, Robert Ebo, 2023. "Mobile money as a driver of digital financial inclusion," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PB).
    5. Michael R. Hyman & Alena Kostyk & David Trafimow, 2023. "True Consumer Autonomy: A Formalization and Implications," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(3), pages 841-863, March.
    6. Naletelich, Kelly & Ketron, Seth & Alejandro Gelves, J., 2023. "Curbing texting & driving with advertising co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Fu, Shihui & Xue, Kunkun & Yang, Mengya & Wang, Xiaona, 2023. "An exploratory study on users' resistance to mobile app updates: Using netnography and fsQCA," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    8. Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi, 2020. "Understanding consumers’ paths to webrooming: A complexity approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    9. Shakir Goraya, M. Awais & Zhu, Jing & Akram, Muhammad Shakaib & Shareef, Mahmud Akhter & Malik, Aneela & Bhatti, Zeeshan Ahmed, 2022. "The impact of channel integration on consumers’ channel preferences: Do showrooming and webrooming behaviors matter?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. Cao, Junwei & Liu, Feng & Shang, Meng & Zhou, Xiaotong, 2021. "Toward street vending in post COVID-19 China: Social networking services information overload and switching intention," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    11. Stefan Hoffmann & Tom Joerß & Robert Mai & Payam Akbar, 2022. "Augmented reality-delivered product information at the point of sale: when information controllability backfires," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 743-776, July.
    12. Pantano, Eleonora & Viassone, Milena & Boardman, Rosy & Dennis, Charles, 2022. "Inclusive or exclusive? Investigating how retail technology can reduce old consumers’ barriers to shopping," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    13. Janina Seutter & Kristin Kutzner & Maren Stadtländer & Dennis Kundisch & Ralf Knackstedt, 2023. "“Sorry, too much information”—Designing online review systems that support information search and processing," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 33(1), pages 1-19, December.
    14. Raoofpanah, Iman & Zamudio, César & Groening, Christopher, 2023. "Review reader segmentation based on the heterogeneous impacts of review and reviewer attributes on review helpfulness: A study involving ZIP code data," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    15. Hong, Ming & Wang, Heyong, 2021. "Research on customer opinion summarization using topic mining and deep neural network," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 88-114.
    16. Jesse L. Barnes & Anjala S. Krishen & Han-fen Hu, 2021. "Untapped Knowledge about Water Reuse: the Roles of Direct and Indirect Educational Messaging," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 35(8), pages 2601-2615, June.
    17. Tassiello, Vito & Tillotson, Jack S., 2020. "How subjective knowledge influences intention to travel," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    18. Khan, Imran, 2023. "Customer engagement outcomes in mobile applications: Self-congruence as a moderator," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

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