Social Influence Bias in Online Ratings: A Field Experiment

Arbeitspapier

The aim of this paper is to study the empirical phenomenon of rating bubbles, i.e. clustering on extremely positive values in e-commerce platforms and rating web sites. By means of a field experiment that exogenously manipulates prior ratings for a hotel in an important Italian tourism destination, we investigate whether consumers are influenced by prior ratings when evaluating their stay (i.e., social influence bias). Results show that positive social influence exists, and that herd behavior is asymmetric: information on prior positive ratings has a stronger influence on consumers' rating attitude than information on prior mediocre ratings. Furthermore, we are able to exclude any brag-or-moan effect: the behavior of frequent reviewers, on average, is not statistically different from the behavior of consumers who have never posted ratings online. Yet, non-reviewers exhibit a higher influence to excellent prior ratings, thus lending support to the social influence bias interpretation. Finally, also repeat customers are affected by prior ratings, although to a lesser extent with respect to new customers.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Quaderni - Working Paper DSE ; No. 1060

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Field Experiments ; Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness ; Information and Internet Services; Computer Software ; Tourism: Industry Studies

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Cicognani, Simona ; Figini, Paolo ; Magnani, Marco
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche (DSE)
• (where): Bologna
• (when): 2016

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.6092/unibo/amsacta/4669
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/159898
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET