Abstract

Reviews receive comments from peers and firms. In this study, we investigate how these comments affect reviewers’ future reviews using a unique dataset from a mobile game review platform. We use a DID framework to conduct our analysis and address the endogeneity of receiving comments by leveraging the relative timing of making reviews and receiving comments. Our findings show that while users’ subsequent review ratings become significantly more positive when receiving manager comments, their reviews become more helpful and two-sided when receiving peer comments. To understand the underlying mechanisms, results from three tests reveal that peer comments not only increase perceived recognition (social recognition mechanism) but also provide opportunities for reviewers to learn (social learning mechanism). Meanwhile, manager comments encourage customers to write positive reviews to spread word-of-mouth (helping mechanism) rather than making customers reluctant to write negative reviews out of a sense of being scrutinized (scrutinizing mechanism).

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Paper Number 1768; Track Platforms; Complete Paper

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