runningheadexpertversuspeerreviews.docVIP

Running head: EXPERT VERSUS PEER REVIEWS ********************* DRAFT February 11, 2009 ********************* Preferences for Expert Versus Peer Reviews on the Internet L. Mark Carrier a, Nancy A. Cheever b, and Larry D. Rosen a a Department of Psychology, California State University-Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson CA 90747, United States b Department of Communications, California State University-Dominguez Hills, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson CA 90747, United States E-mail addresses: L. Mark Carrier (lcarrier@), Nancy A. Cheever (ncheever@), Larry D. Rosen (lrosen@). Corresponding Author: L. Mark Carrier, Telephone: 00-1-310-243-3499; FAX: 00-1-310-516-3642. Preferences for Expert Versus Peer Reviews on the Internet An online questionnaire queried consumer preferences for online expert versus peer reviews at different types of websites and measured consumer reactions to artificial expert and peer reviews. The data showed that negative reviews were more important and more helpful than positive ones and that website type affected preferences. The results suggest a model in which consumers discount products or services with negative reviews, seek peer-provided information as a substitute for direct physical contact with products that normally require experience to evaluate, and seek expert-provided information for evaluating products whose full attributes can be ascertained from technical information about the products. Keywords: Electronic Word-of-Mouth, Online Reviews, Consumer Decisions, Internet, Consumer Choice Preferences for Expert Versus Peer Reviews on the Internet 1. Introduction Online consumers have access to a variety of opinions about products, including those by the sellers themselves, unbiased experts, and peers (Crabtree, 2007; Voight, 2007), and evidence shows that shoppers make use of this online review information (Freedman, 2008; Senecal Nantel, 2004; Westerman, Tuck, Booth, Khakzar, 2007) and that customer word-o