Beyond weekdays: The impact of the weekend effect on eWOM of hedonic product

This study investigates the influence of the 'weekend effect', a temporal factor associated with enhanced mood positivity during weekends, on online reviews, a pivotal form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Leveraging a dataset of 588,011 online reviews from 806 products on leading Chinese e-commerce platforms, supplemented by a laboratory experiment, we discerned a significant increase in review scores for hedonic products during weekends, which are intrinsically linked to emotional responses. However, this effect is not observed for utilitarian products. Additionally, our findings reveal that platform membership status moderates the impact of the 'weekend effect' on online reviews, with members demonstrating more objective review behavior and reduced susceptibility to the 'weekend effect'. This research expands the understanding of eWOM antecedents by incorporating temporal factors and enriches the existing body of research on the 'weekend effect'. It also provides practical insights for online retailers and platforms aiming to manage and leverage online reviews effectively.