The effects of size referents in user‐generated photos on online review helpfulness

Abstract

Product size misperceptions are a common problem for consumers when shopping online. To help their peers estimate a product's size, customers often include a size referent next to the focal product when adding photos to their online reviews. The purpose of this article is to investigate the effects of user‐provided review photos (with and without a size referent) on online review helpfulness. From two online experiments and one eye‐tracking lab experiment, this article finds that photo‐enhanced reviews that include a size referent object can improve review helpfulness. In study 1, eye‐tracking data shows that consumers pay greater attention to the photo and less to the text when the size referent is included. Study 2 shows that size referents are more helpful when consumers have limited experience with the product and the size referent is familiar. The role of perceived reviewer effort is investigated as a mediator to explain this result. Study 3 shows that the effects of a familiar size referent are robust when the seller provides detailed size information but vary depending on review valence.

Online Review Helpfulness and Information Overload: The Roles of Text, Image, and Video Elements

“…We retrieved 8693 online reviews of six products on 14 and 15 January 2024. These products represented two types of products: experience products and search products, following Nelson's categorization [38,39]. Experience products, such as the SK-II Star Luxury Skincare Experience Set, Wuliangye 8th Generation 52 Degrees Strong Aroma Chinese Spirit, and He Feng Yu Men's Perfume Gift Box, are those whose quality can only be assessed after consumption.…”

“…Different review elements have different characteristics, such as richness, vividness, interactivity, and modality, that can affect the information load and cognitive processing of consumers. Text-based reviews convey verbal information, which requires more cognitive effort to interpret and analyze, but can provide more detailed and nuanced information about product attributes and experience [39]. Image-based reviews convey visual information, which is processed faster and more easily by the brain, but can provide less comprehensive and reliable information about product quality and performance [21].…”

“…When the video duration is too short, consumers may not receive enough information to make informed decisions. When the video duration is too long, consumers may lose interest or become overwhelmed by the information [38,39]. Therefore, there may be an optimal video duration that balances the information load and maximizes the review helpfulness.…”