Seeking the opinions of others online: Evidence of evaluation overshoot

Abstract

The internet has evolved into a social tool whereby consumers increasingly read reviews and the opinions of others to aid their purchase decisions. The amount of review information available often leads consumers to process both positive reviews and negative. In two experiments, the present research documents evidence of brand evaluation overshoot as a function of information valence order. In experiment one, positive information about a brand that is replaced by negative information continues to influence judgments, but negative information that is replaced by positive information does not. In experiment two, online hotel reviews ordered from positive to negative result in a more positive e..