I’m definitely on my best behavior now!” Two-sided online review systems as a driver for desirable customer behaviors

Abstract

Research on two-sided review systems—where customers and suppliers evaluate each other —has primarily focused on post-consumption outcomes, showing how reciprocity shapes the evaluations customers and suppliers provide to one another. But do these systems also influence other forms of behavior, especially those that happen during the consumption experience? Across eight experiments, we demonstrate that when suppliers operate on platforms with two-sided (vs. one-sided) review functionality, customers exhibit more ingratiation behaviors, such as being more courteous, polite, and amenable. This occurs because the anticipation of receiving a supplier review increases customers’ self-presentational concerns. However, this effect emerges only when customers have an intention to reuse the platform, and amplifies when they perceive a review could impact this to a greater extent, or provides additional value to them.