Following the herd: The influence of the bandwagon heuristic on e-commerce shoppers

Abstract

This research study examined how the number of reviews, review scores product involvement, and product review valence affect consumers' shopping decisions. Specifically, two online experiments were conducted to examine how product review scores interact with the number of reviews, product involvement, and review valence in affecting bandwagon perceptions and purchase intention. A mock website that displays products and product review metrics was constructed for the purpose of the research. The findings suggest that product review scores, and their interaction with product involvement and review valence, influenced consumers' shopping decisions.