Paper Type
Complete
Paper Number
1172
Description
Online reviews have become an important information source for consumers' decision-making processes. Their importance motivates businesses to actively control the generation of reviews using rewards that can foster review manipulation, for example, by encouraging consumers to post positive reviews for money. Whereas a plethora of research focused on review manipulation from a firm perspective, only a minority paid attention to incentive-driven reviews from a consumer perspective. Based on a survey of 173 predominantly German consumers, this study analyzes incentive-driven reviews from a consumer-centric view. Our findings indicate that consumers are more likely to submit undefined than predefined reviews for rewards. Direct monetary rewards are perceived as the most unethical incentivized method. Nevertheless, some consumers are willing to write incentivized reviews that they judge as unethical or illegal. Beyond implications for practitioners, we contribute to review manipulation research by investigating consumers' perception of different rewards, considering ethical acceptance and legal justifiability.
Recommended Citation
Fröhnel, Kim; Vachenauer, Stefan; and Zarnekow, Rüdiger, "RIGHT OR WRONG? CONSUMERS’ AWARENESS, ETHICAL ACCEPTANCE, AND LEGAL JUSTIFIABILITY OF INCENTIVE-DRIVEN REVIEWS" (2024). PACIS 2024 Proceedings. 2.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2024/track06_dpe/track06_dpe/2
RIGHT OR WRONG? CONSUMERS’ AWARENESS, ETHICAL ACCEPTANCE, AND LEGAL JUSTIFIABILITY OF INCENTIVE-DRIVEN REVIEWS
Online reviews have become an important information source for consumers' decision-making processes. Their importance motivates businesses to actively control the generation of reviews using rewards that can foster review manipulation, for example, by encouraging consumers to post positive reviews for money. Whereas a plethora of research focused on review manipulation from a firm perspective, only a minority paid attention to incentive-driven reviews from a consumer perspective. Based on a survey of 173 predominantly German consumers, this study analyzes incentive-driven reviews from a consumer-centric view. Our findings indicate that consumers are more likely to submit undefined than predefined reviews for rewards. Direct monetary rewards are perceived as the most unethical incentivized method. Nevertheless, some consumers are willing to write incentivized reviews that they judge as unethical or illegal. Beyond implications for practitioners, we contribute to review manipulation research by investigating consumers' perception of different rewards, considering ethical acceptance and legal justifiability.
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.
Comments
Platforms