The Addition of Images to eWOM in the Travel Industry: An Examination of Hotels, Cruise Ships and Fast Food Reviews

• Robert Zinko ^[1] ; Christopher P. Furner ^[2] ; Helene de Burgh-Woodman ^[3] ; Patricia Johnson ^[4] ; Anne Sluhan ^[1]
  1. [1] Texas A&M University

     Texas A&M University

     Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] East Carolina University

     East Carolina University

     Township of Greenville, Estados Unidos

     
  3. [3] Institut Mines Telecom Business School
  4. [4] University of Newcastle

  Mostrar afiliaciones +
• Localización: Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, ISSN-e 0718-1876, Vol. 16, Nº. 3, 2021, págs. 525-541
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen

  • Extensive research has examined the influence of online product reviews on consumer behavior. However, few have investigated the influence of reviewer submitted images on consumer attitudes. This research examines consumer perceptions of trust, information quality and valence disparity using three simulated online reviews appearing on TripAdvisor.com: one for a hotel, one for a cruise ship and one for a fast food restaurant. Findings reveal that reviews with images are seen as more trustworthy, and that consumers perceive reviews with images as possessing higher information quality than reviews containing text only. Likewise, the findings showed that effective images should be consistent with review text (e.g., reviewers do not respond positively to negative reviews linked with positive images, or vice versa).