Paper Type
Completed Research Paper
Abstract
Online reviews have become a popular method for consumers to express personal evaluations and buyers to use as a source of product quality information in purchasing decisions. However, integrity of reputation systems is threatened by evidence about the prevalence of shill reviews. To understand the impact of shill reviews, an experiment was conducted to collect shill reviews and measure the impact of shill reviews on perceived product quality. The results showed positive shill reviews significantly increased quality perceptions of consumers for thinly reviewed products. This finding provides strong evidence about the risks of shill reviews and emphasizes the need to develop effective detection and prevention methods.
Recommended Citation
Ong, Toan; Mannino, Michael; and Gregg, Dawn, "Product Reputation Manipulation: The Impact of Shill Reviews on Perceived Quality" (2013). AMCIS 2013 Proceedings. 2.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2013/eBusinessIntelligence/GeneralPresentations/2
Product Reputation Manipulation: The Impact of Shill Reviews on Perceived Quality
Online reviews have become a popular method for consumers to express personal evaluations and buyers to use as a source of product quality information in purchasing decisions. However, integrity of reputation systems is threatened by evidence about the prevalence of shill reviews. To understand the impact of shill reviews, an experiment was conducted to collect shill reviews and measure the impact of shill reviews on perceived product quality. The results showed positive shill reviews significantly increased quality perceptions of consumers for thinly reviewed products. This finding provides strong evidence about the risks of shill reviews and emphasizes the need to develop effective detection and prevention methods.