(The Effect of Online Reviews on Consumer Buying Decision: An Evaluation of User Characteristics)

Abstract

Purpose – The main purpose of this study is to examine whether the impact of online consumer reviews on consumers’ purchasing decision differs according to their characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – The population of the study consists of the Internet users who read online consumer reviews in Turkey. The sample of the study is composed of 522 participants in Kayseri determined according to the convenience sampling method. In order to collect the data, a face-to-face survey has been conducted. One-way MANOVA is applied to the data collected from the survey. Findings – As a result of the study, findings show that the effect of online reviews on consumer purchase decision does not show a significant difference according to their gender, age groups and daily internet usage. The only significant difference is found for the variable “online shopping frequency of consumers”. Discussion – Online reviews have an impact on consumers’ purchasing decision, and increased level of online shopping frequency has more influence on their decision in terms of web site and online review characteristics.