Abstract:
Although studies have examined helpfulness of online reviews, research is limited with regard to the role of linguistic markers in predicting review helpfulness. In contrast to previous research that have examined commercial online review sites, this is the first study that compares the effect of linguistic markers on review helpfulness across a commercial (Amazon) and a community (LibraryThing) online review platform. The results show that review readers penalise unprofessional and disingenuous reviews on commercial online review platforms, and hence, reviews are less likely to get a review helpfulness rating. On community online review platforms, however, review readers reward longer, thoughtful and emotionally laden reviews written in formal language. These insights can help the managers of review platforms better understand the mechanism behind review helpfulness ratings. Hence, based on these insights, review platforms can set guidelines for their members on how to write reviews, which would strengthen the platform’s overall reputation.