The interaction effect of online review language style and product type on consumers’ purchase intentions

Online reviews, a form of word-of-mouth marketing, substantially impact consumer perceptions, decisions, and actions regarding products and services. Over 70% of consumers consult and trust online reviews, with approximately 85% reporting that reviews influence their purchasing choices. Consumers increasingly focus not only on product information but also on reviews from other buyers. Purchase intention, defined as the subjective likelihood of purchasing a product, serves as a predictor of actual purchasing behavior under specific circumstances. Prior research on online reviews and purchase intention has primarily concentrated on factors like review quality, quantity, valence, and reviewer similarity. However, less attention has been paid to the narrative style of reviews, even though review content holds significant value in online purchasing decisions. Recent studies have begun to examine the impact of textual content and linguistic style on consumer attitudes and decisions. However, these studies often lack an exploration of the underlying mechanisms. Online shopping inherently lacks the interpersonal warmth and sociability of traditional retail, making it a compelling area to investigate novel approaches to enhance the consumer experience. Social presence, which refers to the degree to which media allows users to perceive others as psychologically present, offers a valuable perspective for this study. This research investigates whether and how the language style of online reviews influences purchase decisions, aiming to unveil the underlying mechanisms.

Existing research on online reviews covers several key aspects. Firstly, studies analyzing the emotional content of reviews focus on emotional tendency, polarity, and categorization. Secondly, research into the perceived usefulness of reviews often considers factors like comment depth, polarity, and product type. Thirdly, some studies explore the dynamics of online word-of-mouth communication around reviews. However, research on the language style of online reviews remains limited, with previous studies exploring aspects like expertize claims, valence, and argumentation density. This study focuses on the distinction between literal and figurative language, as proposed by Kronrod and Danziger (2013). Literal language uses objective language to describe product features and functions, while figurative language employs indirect meanings and expressions to convey additional connotation, often through metaphors and exaggerations. Product type is also a crucial factor, categorized as search products (where consumers can readily assess objective attributes before purchase) and experience products (where quality is primarily determined by subjective experience after purchase). Social presence is a key construct in this study, referring to the degree to which a communication medium allows users to perceive others as psychologically present and connected. Prior research has explored the influence of social presence on purchase behavior through factors like trust, perceived usefulness, and hedonic value. The study aims to build on this existing body of research by investigating the interaction between language style, product type, and social presence in the context of online purchase intentions.

The study employs a two-study design to investigate the research hypotheses. Study 1 uses a 2 (language style: literal vs. figurative) x 2 (product type: search product vs. experience product) between-subjects design. 138 undergraduate students from Guangzhou, China participated, with 126 valid responses after removing invalid questionnaires. Participants were asked to imagine purchasing a digital camera (search product) or a coat (experience product). Reviews for these products, categorized as literal or figurative, were collected from taobao.com and presented to participants. Participants then rated the language style and product type, followed by a purchase intention scale with three items (Cronbach's α = 0.953). Study 2 utilizes a similar experimental design, with participants rating the language style and product type, along with a purchase intention scale (Cronbach's α = 0.918) and a social presence scale (Cronbach's α = 0.920). The sample size for Study 2 was 126 participants after removing invalid questionnaires. Both studies employ a 7-point Likert scale for all measurements. Data analysis for both studies includes manipulation checks, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and moderated mediation analysis (using Hayes's model 8 with 5000 bootstrap samples).

Study 1's manipulation checks confirmed that participants perceived significant differences in both language style and product type. A two-way ANOVA showed a significant interaction effect between product type and language style on purchase intention. Specifically, literal reviews increased purchase intention for search products, while figurative reviews enhanced purchase intention for experience products. Study 2 replicated the significant interaction effect observed in Study 1. Literal reviews significantly increased purchase intention for search products (M_literal = 5.60, M_figurative = 4.25, p = 0.001), and figurative reviews significantly increased purchase intention for experience products (M_figurative = 5.16, M_literal = 4.32, p < 0.05). Moderated mediation analyses revealed that social presence significantly mediated the relationship between language style and purchase intention, for both search and experience products. For search products, literal reviews increased social presence, which, in turn, increased purchase intention. For experience products, figurative reviews enhanced social presence, leading to higher purchase intentions. The 95% confidence intervals for indirect effects in both scenarios did not include zero, indicating statistically significant effects.

The findings provide compelling evidence for the interaction effect of online review language style and product type on consumers' purchase intentions. The results support the hypotheses that literal reviews are more effective for search products, whereas figurative reviews are more effective for experience products. The mediating role of social presence clarifies the underlying mechanism. For search products, the objective nature of literal reviews resonates with consumers' search for factual information, creating a sense of connection and trust (social presence) that drives purchase intention. Conversely, for experience products, the vividness and emotional depth of figurative reviews tap into consumers' desire for subjective experiences, thus enhancing social presence and purchase intention. These findings contribute to the understanding of how language style and product type work in concert to influence consumer behavior online.

This study significantly contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating the interactive effect of online review language style and product type on purchase intention, and by highlighting the mediating role of social presence. The findings offer valuable insights for businesses in optimizing their online marketing strategies by tailoring review language style to different product types to enhance consumer engagement and purchase likelihood. Further research could explore the effects of mixed-valence reviews, investigate other mediating variables beyond social presence, and consider the influence of temporal factors and individual differences.

This study's primary limitation is its focus on favorable online reviews. Future research should examine the effect of negative or mixed-valence reviews. Another limitation is the reliance on student participants, which might limit the generalizability of findings to other demographics. Furthermore, the study is geographically limited to China. Future research should incorporate diverse cultural contexts to enhance the robustness of the findings. Finally, additional methodological approaches, such as field studies and questionnaire surveys, could complement this research's experimental findings and provide a more holistic perspective.