A research result showing that the 5-star word-of-mouth system like Amazon does not deserve the judgment material of purchase consideration

ByAlessandro Pautasso

User reviews and reviews of 5-star formats that are common in online shopping are considered to be excellent judgment materials when considering the purchase of products, but weaknesses that many user reviews are "biased" There was a research result announced.

Navigating by the Stars: Investigating the Actual and Perceived Validity of Online User Ratings | Journal of Consumer Research
http://jcr.oxfordjournals.org/content/42/6/817

User ratings are unreliable, and we fail to account for that | Ars Technica
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/05/user-ratings-are-unreliable-and-we-fail-to-account-for-that/

User reviews and reviews of the five-star format are adopted by many online shopping sites, you can read by reviewing the review before purchasing the item, seeing the average value of the review and referring. Meanwhile, many of the reviews posted are biased as subjective information, and it contains a weak point that it is difficult to consider as a judgment material for purchase consideration.

The result of investigating the reliability of such user review was published in Journal of Consumer Research. The survey method is also used in several academic researches, and it is a well-established reputation for objective product criticismConsumer ReportsA comparison of the evaluation of 1272 products picked up from 'Amazon' user reviews of the same product.


As a result of the investigation, it turned out that the evaluation of Consumer Reports and the evaluation by Amazon user review are greatly different. For about one-third of the products examined, there was a correlation that Amazon's rating was lower as Consumer Reports' evaluation was higher. Amazon user review, in particularPremium BrandAnd expensive products are subjectively influenced, and there is a high possibility that the image will be evaluated more than the actual quality depending on the image.

According to the paper, looking at the user review and considering the purchase of the product will see the biased information. Also, although we may be seeking unique aesthetics and subjective opinions from the reviewer, we also point out that it is difficult for users to judge the quality of products by excluding these subjective contents. The research team asked the participants of the research "to look for Amazon's products and then look for products that are highly appreciated by Consumer Reports", but even products with very little reviews, the judgment on the quality of the product It seems that it was based on the content of the review.

The result of this research is a tip of the iceberg that refers to the reliability of user review, and for review and user reviewVarious problemsExist. In addition to the existence of traders who make a high opinion of reviews a problem from time ago, some companies may offer products to users specifically in search of highly rated reviews. People tend to be affected by well-known reviewers and majority ratings, and there is a possibility that review subsequently posted will be more biased content.

ByFrits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

When we are considering purchasing, psychologically, we will ask for only a convenient review "I will buy this product"Confirmation biasIt is also necessary to think about the influence of. Therefore, research authors say that it is difficult to accurately judge the quality of products with too many postings and too few products from user reviews. On the other hand, if a large number of complaints reviews are attached, it means that it will be helpful for distinguishing the initial defect rate of products etc.