Weighting of Valence, Volume, and Credibility by Consumers of High Risk Products: A Study of One Detailed Negative Review versus Ten Positive Reviews
Keywords:
negative review, consumer decision, electronic word of mouth, perceived risk, source credibilityAbstract
Consumers frequently encounter one detailed negative review alongside ten positive reviews when evaluating high risk products. This study synthesizes existing literature to explain how consumers weigh valence, volume, and credibility under such asymmetric conditions. Findings indicate that a single negative review consistently overpowers ten positive reviews due to negativity bias, emotional contagion, source credibility effects, and non compensatory decision strategies. Product categories with high perceived risk such as skincare and electronics amplify this asymmetry. The review's specificity, recency, and the seller's response quality moderate the effect. Volume of positive reviews offers limited protection because consumers process information narratively rather than mathematically. These results challenge the assumption that accumulating positive reviews effectively counteracts negative information. The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding information weighting in electronic word of mouth and offers practical guidance for reputation management in high risk product markets.
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