The Content and Impact of Mobile Versus Desktop Reviews

Although there is a growing body of research on the content and impact of word-of-mouth on consumer behavior, little is known about differences between mobile and traditional desktop reviews. Recent empirical research shows that desktop reviews are generally positive (Chevalier and Mayzlin 2006), that product ratings in online reviews increase over time but decline as the number of reviews increases (Godes and Silva 2012), and that later reviewers are influenced by earlier ones (Moe and Trusov 2011). Other research shows that the valence, dispersion, and volume of consumer reviews predict sales in traditional (i.e., desktop) online environments (Chevalier and Mayzlin 2006; Duan, Gu, and Whinston 2008; Godes and Mayzlin 2004). Other research suggests that the perceived value of consumer-created content depends on characteristics such as contribution length, contributors’ prior posting behavior, contributor expertise, and the perceived similarity of the creators to the readers of this content (Forman, Ghose, and Wiesenfeld 2008; Weiss, Lurie, and MacInnis 2008). However little is known about differences in the characteristics and relative influence of consumer content created in mobile versus traditional settings. In addition, there is substantial debate over the pros and cons of allowing consumers to write real time reviews with some fearing that mobile reviews will not benefit from reflection and that consumers will affectively (and negatively) respond to their current experiences. This has led some review sites (e.g., Yelp) to allow consumers to start reviews on their mobile devices but require them to use a desktop computer to finish them. This research addresses these issues by 1) identifying potential differences in content created on mobile versus non-mobile devices and 2) assessing how these factors affect the relative influence of mobile versus desktop reviews.