Role of gender in the creation and persuasiveness of online reviews

Online reviews play an important role in consumers' purchase journeys and therefore have received considerable research attention. Yet research is limited as to whether and how a reviewer's gender affects persuasiveness. In response, we analyze more than one million reviews posted on the website Yelp and find that an author's gender indeed affects review text and, consequently, persuasiveness. Specifically, we find that (1) reviews posted by women (vs. men) are more authentic, less analytical, more positive-affective, and less negative-affective and (2) authentic, analytical, negative-affective text increases the persuasiveness of reviews while positive-affective text lowers it. We also find that the persuasiveness of reviews from women (vs. men) depends on product category, suggesting that retailers should consider the product category and authors' gender when ranking reviews.

Automated summary

Online reviews are important in consumers' purchase journeys, but research on whether and how a reviewer's gender affects persuasiveness is limited. We analyzed over one million reviews on Yelp and found that a reviewer's gender does affect review text and persuasiveness. Specifically, reviews from women are more authentic, less analytical, more positive-affective, and less negative-affective. Authentic, analytical, and negative-affective text increases review persuasiveness, while positive-affective text lowers it. The persuasiveness of reviews from women also varies by product category, suggesting that retailers should consider gender and product category when ranking reviews.