Conformity or Differentiation? How Consumers Respond to the (In)consistency Between Product Ratings and Review Sentiments in the United States and China

Abstract

This research investigates the joint impact of numeric ratings and review sentiments in prior product reviews on consumers' product evaluations and how this impact varies between individualist and collectivist cultures. Using data on 115,231 consumer reviews of 167 American movies released both in the United States and China, the authors find that the joint impact of movie ratings and review sentiments varies with the consistency between the two information sources, as well as their valence. Furthermore, their analysis reveals that the joint impact differs between the two cultures. The authors suggest that these findings may arise because consumers' perception of information credibility varies depending on the information consistency and their cultural background. The findings offer important implications for firms in managing user-generated content platforms for consumers' product reviews and social media across global markets.