Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Communication and Information

Major Professor

Eric Haley

Committee Members

Matthew Pittman, Anika Abell

Abstract

The impact of online reviews on consumer behavior has been increasingly studied as online retail platforms have grown exponentially, and internet research used prior to purchasing products has become more common. However, limited research has examined the impact of those product reviews on the overall perception of the brands selling these products. This study exclusively looked at product reviews for high and low-involvement utilitarian products and analyzed how those reviews affect consumers' perception of a brand. Taking a sample of 301 participants, findings showed that star ratings had a drastic effect on consumers' perception of a brand, associating a low star-rated review with poor brand perception and vice versa. The research also found that low-involvement utilitarian products were highly affected by star ratings, especially concerning purchases of future products from that brand. Those findings suggest that for products associated with a low involvement thought process, consumers are willing to purchase different products from that brand purely from seeing a high-rated star review. However, for products associated with a higher involvement thought process, consumers will conduct more future research before deciding to purchase different products from that brand. Additionally, the findings strengthen the importance of a brand building its image and following, as they showcase how one visual review can deter consumers from wanting to buy not only a specific product but any other products from that brand.

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