IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v78y2024ics0969698924000882.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are high-status reviewers more likely to seek anonymity? Evidence from an online review platform

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Zhiyun
  • Zhang, Ziqiong
  • Liu, Sen
  • Zhang, Zili

Abstract

Nearly all ecommerce platforms have adopted hierarchical status systems to encourage user contributions. Although many studies have explored how online reviewer status influences consumer contributions, how reviewer status affects reviewer preferences for anonymity, which is an important factor in consumer assessments of review credibility and consumer purchase decisions, is still unclear. In this paper, underpinned by hierarchical status and psychological theories, an empirical analysis is conducted regarding the ways that reviewer status shapes reviewer preferences for anonymity. Utilizing online review data from Ctrip.com and employing advanced text mining methods, we reveal that reviewer status positively influences their preferences for anonymity, but this effect is weaker for business-travel reviewers than for leisure-travel reviewers. Additionally, this positive effect is attenuated by reviewer openness but strengthened by reviewer conscientiousness. However, the moderating effect of reviewer neuroticism is not significant. Our findings substantially contribute to the literature on hierarchical status and information disclosure and provide significant practical guidance for incentive designers in the ecommerce domain.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Zhiyun & Zhang, Ziqiong & Liu, Sen & Zhang, Zili, 2024. "Are high-status reviewers more likely to seek anonymity? Evidence from an online review platform," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:78:y:2024:i:c:s0969698924000882
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103792
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698924000882
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103792?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:78:y:2024:i:c:s0969698924000882. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.