What Makes a Better Review? The Effects of Comparisons and Content Extremity on Online Review Helpfulness

Abstract

This study examines some of the factors influencing the perceived helpfulness of online reviews. This study argues that the content of the written review plays a role in review helpfulness. Using 2,587 reviews collected from Amazon.com, I found that product comparisons, review content extremity and reviewer characteristics positively influenced review helpfulness. Review biasedness is stronger for search goods than for experience goods.