An empirical analysis of experienced reviewers in online communities: what, how, and why to review

Online consumer reviews significantly impact market performance as potential customers rely heavily on these reviews for consumer decision making. Accordingly, experienced online reviewers, or highly motivated reviewers who account for the largest attribution of reviews, are proposed to be an important part of the online reviewing ecosystem. This research examines experienced reviewers in the online communities. Using empirical data, this study found that experienced reviewers tend to behave as experts with the aim to achieve a common good with rating and selection attributes similar to critics. Hence, results showed that experienced reviewers leave lower ratings, have less extremity in their ratings, prefer sophisticated products but do not prefer popular products. The female experienced reviewers are less generous than novice female reviewers and their generosity decreases more dramatically than males in the rating propensity as they become experienced reviewers.