Reviewing Before Reading? An Empirical Investigation of Book-Consumption Patterns and Their Effects on Reviews and Sales

Prior research on online reviews has taken for granted that consumers submit reviews only after they have fully consumed purchased products or services. Contrastingly, this study uncovered the hidden truth that many book consumers post assessments before, during, and after consumption. Interestingly, many provide numerical review ratings, even with no consumption at all. We also found that review comments formed after incomplete product engagement adversely affect subsequent sales. Consequently, online evaluations crafted on the basis of fragmentary encounters can become a new source of challenges to managers and policymakers who are responsible for preserving the accuracy and informativeness of product critiques. Digital platforms may leverage our findings to improve their design of review systems and policies in ways that enhance the trustworthiness of peer evaluations and correct potential inaccuracies from inadequately informed assessments. For example, managers can revise their review “sorting” structure so that consumers can flexibly reposition text-based reviews in accordance with a consumption index. Managers can likewise take advantage of these study’s insights to effectively re-establish review-posting policies and schemes that encourage consumers to submit reviews after a sufficient amount of products have been consumed.