That’s What I Was Looking For! Congruence and Perceived Information Relevance of Online Customer Reviews

This study explored the interaction of a message appeal of online reviews and shopping orientation on perceived congruence. The effects of perceived congruence, perceived information relevance, cumulative satisfaction, and perceived risk on purchase intention were also examined. The participants with hedonic (vs. utilitarian) shopping orientation perceived higher congruence when viewing an emotional (vs. rational) review than a rational (vs. emotional) review. Perceived information relevance mediated the effects of perceived congruence on purchase intention. Cumulative satisfaction positively affected purchase intention, while the effects of perceived risk were found to be insignificant. The findings contribute to the online review literature by providing evidence of congruence effects between consumers’ internal factors and review characteristics. The finding that perceived information relevance serves as an underlying mechanism of the congruence effects expands the existing knowledge of electronic word-of-mouth. Practitioners are recommended to find ways to increase perceived information relevance by tailoring to consumers’ shopping orientation and utilizing the message appeal of online reviews with website designs and algorithms.