Content and Context: Consumer Interactions with Digital Decision Aids

Abstract

Through four essays, this dissertation contributes to the body of marketing literature by advancing understanding of consumer interactions with digital decision aids. Different aspects of the content contained within digital decision aids are explored in several contexts. First, the drivers of consumer interactivity in an online review community are examined and it is found that violations of community norms are an important factor in stimulating consumer action. Second, a tool is developed to facilitate the normalization of online review content across languages. Next, elements of language and national culture are investigated to determine their influence on consumer reviews in an international context. It is found that cultural biases play an important role in the relative verbosity, valence, and helpfulness of online reviews across countries. Lastly, the role of images in digital decision aids is considered and it is found that image type and perspective can influence consumer product evaluation. In sum, the influence that content and context have on consumer interactions with digital decision aids is clearly demonstrated through a diverse yet intertwined set of studies.