Cultural differences in processing online customer reviews: holistic versus analytic thinkers

Benedikt M. Brand (), Cristopher Siegfried Kopplin () and Theresa Maria Rausch ()
Additional contact information
Benedikt M. Brand: University of Bayreuth
Cristopher Siegfried Kopplin: University of Bayreuth
Theresa Maria Rausch: University of Bayreuth

Electronic Markets, 2022, vol. 32, issue 3, No 4, 1039-1060

Abstract: Abstract While the majority of studies exploring online customer reviews in the light of intercultural comparisons draw on the theoretical framework of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, which faced justifiable criticism, we make use of Socio-Cognitive Systems Theory to illustrate how consumers from different cultures are cognitively processing information. By employing this alternative theory, it is shown that the (heretofore established) Elaboration Likelihood Model for examining online customer reviews does not serve as an applicable framework in intercultural contexts. Reviewing extant literature, we uncover incidents questioning the generalizability of previous studies on review credibility conducted among East Asians. Building upon a research model established at a national level, we interviewed Western (German; n=552) and East Asian (Chinese; n=585) consumers to analyze the intercultural appropriateness of the model. The results empirically validate the assumptions of the Socio-Cognitive Systems Theory, and thus, finds Chinese to perceive review credibility holistically, whereas Germans tend to categorize its antecedents for evaluating them separately.

Keywords: Online customer reviews; Socio-Cognitive Systems Theory; Intercultural comparison; Elaboration Likelihood Model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D11 D12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12525-022-00543-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:elmark:v:32:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12525-022-00543-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ystems/journal/12525

DOI: 10.1007/s12525-022-00543-1

Access Statistics for this article

Electronic Markets is currently edited by Rainer Alt and Hans-Dieter Zimmermann

More articles in Electronic Markets from Springer, IIM University of St. Gallen
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().