The role of online video reviews in the consumer decision-making process - Exploring the effect of review characteristics and credibility
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Date
2021
Department
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Mcode
Degree programme
Marketing
Language
en
Pages
66
Series
Abstract
Continuing to gain a better understanding of consumers’ decision-making processes is essential for researchers and marketers. Online product reviews, a form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), have been found to guide and affect consumers’ purchase intentions and decision-making. With them, consumers can learn more about a product through other people’s experiences and make better-informed purchase decisions. While the fields of eWOM and online reviews have been widely studied, little attention has been given to understanding online reviews in a video format. Therefore, this research examined the role of online video reviews in the consumer decision-making process by exploring the effects of review characteristics and credibility. An interview-based, qualitative research approach was employed to explore the presented research topic. The interviewees were young millennials aged between 25 and 32 years old, who had had previous experiences with using online video reviews found on YouTube. The 30- to 45-minute interviews provided great insight into consumers’ shopping experiences and confirmed the significant role of online video reviews in the consumer decision-making process. The findings demonstrated that consumers use different types of eWOM, including online video reviews, to collect product information and aid their decision-making. Consumers turn to online video reviews because they offer (1) the experiences and opinions of other consumers, (2) social reassurance, (3) a demonstration of the product in use, and (4) advice from an expert on the product and the product category. Additionally, online video reviews are found useful in several stages of the decision-making process and within a variety of product categories. Also, it was discovered that consumers hold high expectations on the quality and effort put into creating an online video review. The reviewer is expected to demonstrate expertise, honesty and fairness for the review to be perceived as credible and a valuable source of information for the consumer’s decision-making process. If the video and reviewer possess these characteristics, the video review can play a significant role in the consumer’s purchase intentions and decisions. Lastly, it is found that online video reviews are perceived and utilized very differently to written reviews. This study also provides theoretical and managerial implications, in addition to suggestions for further research.Description
Thesis advisor
Asikainen, Sanna-KatriinaKeywords
consumer decision-making process, eWOM, online video reviews, credibility