A critical analysis of the extent to which online customer reviews influence the

retail purchase intention of consumers in the UK

BA (Hons) Marketing Management

University College Birmingham

Validated by: University of Birmingham

April 2022

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 Abstract

With the rapid growth of e-commerce and the Internet in the last decade, online shopping has
become a part of consumers' daily lives. Part of this development is online customer reviews,
including electronic word of mouth (eWOM). In the existing literature, the influence of online
reviews is widespread; however, outdated primary data for the UK consumers in retail.
Therefore, this study aims to critically analyse the extent to which online customer reviews
influence the retail purchase intention of consumers in the UK. A literature review was
conducted by reviewing the existing literature in this field of study, and a questionnaire to
support the findings was conducted.

The results suggest that factors such as the decision-making process, the credibility, the valence
of online reviews and motivation all contribute to the influence of online reviews. They have the
effect that consumers are influenced in their purchase intention by these factors to the extent that
purchase can be cancelled or achieved.

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 Contents List

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................2

1. Introduction................................................................................................................................5

1.1 Research aim..............................................................................................................................6

1.2 Research objectives....................................................................................................................6

1.3 Rationale.................................................................................................................................6-7

1.4 Theoretical framework...............................................................................................................8

2. Literature Review

2.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................9

2.2 The relationship between online reviews and consumer buying decisions process.9-12

2.3 The credibility of customer online reviews............................................................12-14

2.4 The relevance of negative and positive e-WOM....................................................14-15

2.5 How motivation influences consumer in searching reviews and its impact................16

2.6 Conclusion...................................................................................................................17

3. Methodology

3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................17

3.2 Choice of Research Design..........................................................................................18

3.3 Secondary Research................................................................................................18-20

3.4 Primary Research....................................................................................................20-21

3.5 Questionnaire Design.............................................................................................21-22

3.6 Sample..........................................................................................................................22

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 3.7 Procedure................................................................................................................22-23

3.8 Data Analysis..........................................................................................................23-24

4. Findings and Analysis

4.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................24

4.2 Collected Findings and Analysis........................................................................................24-32

5. Conclusion….......................................................................................................................32-33

References................................................................................................................................34-37

Appendices..............................................................................................................................38-41

List of Figures and Tables

Figure 1. Theoretical framework.........................................................................................8

Figure 2. Decision making process....................................................................................10

Figure 3. Question 1 Results……………………………………..………………………25

Figure 4. Question 2 Results……………………………………………………………..25

Figure 5. Questions 3 Results……………………………………………………………26

Figure 6. Questions 4 Results……………………………………………………………26

Figure 7. Questions 5 Results……………………………………………………………27

Figure 8. Questions 6 Results……………………………………………………………28

Figure 9. Questions 7 Results……………………………………………………………29

Figure 10. Questions 8 Results…………………………………………………………..31

Figure 11. Questions 9 Results…………………………………………………………..32

Table 1. Inclusion/ Exclusion matrix.............................................................................................19

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1. Introduction

The massive expansion of the e-commerce industry and the Internet has led to increased online
shopping, which can be accomplished at any time, from anywhere around the globe and at a low
price. This advancement has struck consumers' daily lives and become normality (Li, Chen and
Zhang, 2020). From that, the term and concept of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) have
developed, and it has become obtained great awareness by e-marketers and specialists in the field
(Hussain et al., 2018). According to Ismagilova et al. (2019), the concept of electronic word of
mouth is an exchange process through the Internet that is dynamic and continuing. The exchange
process about the product or service occurs between former, actual and potential customers.

In comparison, traditional word of mouth (WOM) was already a highly crucial and influential, if
not the most, utilised tool in market research (Hussain et al., 2018). Electronic word of mouth
(eWOM) has been recognised by a majority of literature to influence consumers' buying
behaviour significantly. Potential customers search for other online reviews to decrease their
uncertainty and risk about the product or service and brand before making their final purchase
decision (Li, Chen and Zhang, 2020). Research by Statista (2022) presents that the reading
behaviour of UK consumers on online reviews approximately amounts to 90%. Further, the
research reveals that 94% of the respondents avoid purchasing from low rated businesses
(Statista, 2022).

Previous literature has examined the importance and influence of online reviews on the purchase
intention of consumers (Matute, Polo-Redondo and Utrillas, 2016; Ismagilova et al., 2019;
Kumar; 2020; Li, Chen and Zhang, 2020). The main themes were

• the credibility of online reviews,

• the relationship between online reviews and consumer buying behaviour,
• the impact of negative online reviews and review characteristics.

However, it should be noted that the majority of the mentioned literature primarily focused on
other countries, such as the US and Malaysia, which leads to the opportunity of investigating the
research further by focusing the results on the UK and the retail sector.

Therefore, the following research paper is constructed in five major parts, beginning with the
introductory part, including the Research aim, objectives, rationale, and the literature review's
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theoretical framework to allow for a logical, synthesising writing process and the application of
relevant theory. The second part of the study contains the literature review that will analyse the
central themes, including the relationship between online reviews and the consumer buying
decisions process, the credibility of online reviews, the relevance of negative and positive
eWOM, and motivation. The third chapter of the study is the methodology. This part of the
research paper discusses and justifies the processes and methods applied to the research to obtain
the information. With this, areas such as the choice of research design, questionnaire design,
procedure, and primary and secondary research are presented in this part. After the methodology,
the findings and analysis part follows. This section presents the results of the conducted
questionnaire and analyses them by matching them with the existing literature from the literature
review. Finally, the conclusion completes the study by summarising the results and findings of
the paper and offering opportunities for further research.

1.1 Research aim

To critically analyse the extent to which online customer reviews influence the retail purchase
intention of consumers in the UK.

1.2 Research objectives

• To analyse the critical stages of the consumer buying process.

• To explore the relationship between online reviews and consumer buying decisions
through existing literature.
• To identify the credibility of online customer reviews.
• To determine what motivates consumers to search for reviews before the purchase
decision.

1.3 Rationale

Due to an increase in online shopping due to recent events, such as Covid-19 and the
unavailability to regard online products and services in person, consumers, including the project
researcher, rely on online customer reviews to help during the decision process. Thus, online
reviews impact whether a product/service is worth the purchase. While initial research exists,

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this study will use updated literature and fill an existing shortage in literature by focusing on the
retail sector in the UK. Further, the study will apply theory to assess its applicability. This
research will therefore identify to what extent online customer reviews influence the retail
purchase intention of consumers. Appropriate conclusions or recommendations would aid
individuals and businesses in realising and understanding the effectiveness, influence and
theories behind online customer reviews. As a result, this would help both parties to act
accordingly.

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1.4 Theoretical framework

The literature review will be based on this research project's following theoretical framework to
allow a focused and synthesising research.

Consumer behaviour Persuasion:

• Consumer decision- • ELM- Elaboration

making process likelihood model
• Critical stages affected by • Central or peripheral
online reviews. cues
• Factors that influence
the credibility of reviews

Aim: To
critically analyse
the extent to
which online
customer
reviews
influence the
retail purchase
intention of
consumers in
the UK. Motivation:
Negativity bias theory:
1. Vroom's expectancy
• How do consumers
theory
perceive negative and
positive reviews? 2. Reason for consumers
• Do negative online to search for online
reviews have a more reviews.
significant impact than
3. Expectations of
positive reviews.
consumers from
reading online reviews.
4. Post-purchase

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2. Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

Walliman (2022) describes the literature review as an essential part of the research paper and
presents itself as an introduction to the area of study, to the project and includes the critical
appraisal of the relevant and existing literature for the dissertation. Therefore, to appreciate the
current state of the study on a particular topic, a range of literature from other authors needs to be
carefully selected, reviewed and analysed to acquire a good knowledge of the topic and discover
a research gap (Walliman, 2022).

Thus, the following literature review reviews and analyses the sources, as shown in Appendix A,
relevant to the online review topic and analyses them by applying relevant theory as stated in the
theoretical framework in Table/ Figure. Notable names such as Filieri, Matute, Lopes and Wang,
that have contributed to the field of research with their work and have been mentioned by other
authors, are mentioned in the literature review.

2.2 The relationship between online reviews and consumer buying decisions process

It is crucial to understand the theory behind the decision-making process to analyse the existing
literature. Therefore, consumer behaviour and consumer buying behaviour is a vast area of
expertise that has been researched and written about by many authors and marketing experts,
such as Kotler, Solomon and Dibb. Thus, the following definitions and specifications about
consumer buying behaviourism will link to the sources of those mentioned experts.

Kotler and Armstrong (2018), Dibb et al. (2019) and Lancaster and Massingham (2018) agree on
the definition that consumer buying behaviour covers the study of an ongoing process involving
the activities that are represented during the buying stages of goods and services for personal and
household use. According to Solomon (2015), consumer behaviour is the following:

(...) a study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase,
use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and
desires. (Solomon, 2015, p.28)

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Kotler and Armstrong (2018) highlight two parts responsible for shaping and influencing the
consumer's final purchase decision. On the one hand, various cultural, personal, social and
psychological characteristics influence the purchase decisions. On the other hand, the five stages
decision-making process affects the purchase intention (Kotler and Armstrong 2018). For this
study, the decision-making process is significant.

As previously mentioned, the consumer decision-making process consists of five stages that all
contribute to the final choice and the post-purchase behaviour of the consumer (Kotler and
Armstrong, 2018). The stages start with recognising a need or problem, searching for
information to evaluate the alternatives, carrying out the purchase, and assessing the behaviour
after the purchase (Kotler and Armstrong, 2018, Dibb et al. 2019, Lancaster and Massingham,
2018). This stages system allows for a simplified overview of all the steps that the consumer
might experience during a product or service buying process. Kotler and Armstrong (2018) add
that procedures before and after the first and fifth stages can also be present.

Figure 2 below illustrates the decision-making process, and the stages consumers undergo when
making a purchase decision.

Figure 2 (Kotler and Armstrong, 2018)

The first step of the model illustrates the consumer realising a need or a problem that arise via
internal or external stimuli, such as thirst or the hunger to buy a new product. Once a need or
problem is recognised, the information search follows. In this stage, the consumer may acquire
information from personal, commercial, experiential and public sources, including online
reviews (Kotler and Armstrong, 2018). Dibb et al. (2019) support this by adding that depending
on the information characteristics such as quality, quantity and format, the consumer might
utilise the searched information differently. Once the information has been obtained, the
consumer will evaluate its alternatives. The decision may vary upon the individual and the
consumer's situation (Kotler and Armstrong, 2018, Dibb et al., 2019). The evaluation process
might be fast or slow, and consumers might undertake support from online reviews (Kotler and
Armstrong, 2018). After alternative brands and the purchase intention are decided on, the

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purchase decision, thus, the fourth stage follows. Dibb et al. (2019) describe this part as the result
of the alternatives, which are impacted by factors such as availability and proximity of stores.
However, Kotler and Armstrong (2018) draw also a distinction between the attitudes of others
and unexpected situational factors influencing the decision, which can even lead to a termination
of the purchase decision. Finally, the fifth and last step is the post-purchase behaviour or
evaluation. This stage is described by Dibb et al. (2019) and Kotler and Armstrong (2018) as an
evaluation process of the purchased product or service where the consumer decides if the
purchase meets its expectations leading to satisfaction or dissatisfaction and, thus, different
reactions, such as negative/positive reviews or rebuy/refund.

Previously published studies on the effect of online customer reviews on purchase intentions
have acknowledged the nature of online customer reviews being an important matter that
requires attention as they influence the purchase behaviour of consumers (Matute, Polo-Redondo
and Utrillas, 2016; Ismagilova et al., 2019; Kumar; 2020; Li, Chen and Zhang, 2020). According
to Matute, Polo-Redondo and Utrillas (2016), an increase in online activities in retail, such as
information search, is noticeable, consequently affecting the decision process. The author
supports his argument by citing a study highlighting that the percentage of consumers trusting
online reviews as much as personal recommendations lie by approximately 72% (Matute, Polo-
Redondo and Utrillas, 2016). These online reviews, also known as electronic word of mouth, are
due to their availability of crucial informational sources. Approximately 93% of customers in
studies specified their influence of online reviews on their purchase decision (Ismagilova et al.,
2019), therefore suggesting an existing relationship between online customer reviews and
customers' purchase intention, as well as product sales (Li, Chen and Zhang, 2020; Kumar,
2020).

Pham and Ahammad (2017), Li, Chen and Zhang (2020) and Kumar (2020) suggest that the
critical stages affected by online customer reviews during the decision-making process are the
information search stage, the evaluation process stage and the post-purchase behaviour.
Consequently, once decided on the need and recognised the problem, Pham and Ahammad
(2017) propose the consumer searches for relevant information regarding the desired product,
including online customer reviews and ratings from consumers who have already purchased the
product or service (Kumar, 2020). According to Kumar (2020), along with product information

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provided by the marketer, the consumer requires other consumer's views and opinions; thus,
online reviews that the consumer already recognises as credible, objective and trustworthy. To
achieve the best possible purchase decision during the process, Ismagilova et al. (2019) state that
the following characteristics of online reviews affect the consumer: credibility, usefulness, trust,
valence, volume, and age.

The next critical stage for the consumer, the evaluation process, affects the customer's purchase
intention. Kumar (2020) and Li, Chen and Zhang (2020) agree that online customer reviews
serve as a reference for evaluating alternatives for the desired product. Li, Chen and Zhang
(2020) add that due to lacking experience and the intangibility of the product, alternatives are
searched for established on the researched information from the previous stage. Additionally, the
valence (positive and negative consumer) of customer reviews affects and influences consumers'
purchase decision process (Kumar, 2020), with negative reviews leading to a decrease in the
purchase intention (Barbro, Mudambi and Schuff, 2020).

The post-purchase behaviour, once reached, would offer the basis for the consumer to write
positive or negative feedback in the form of reviews and expand the electronic word of mouth
(Kumar, 2020). During this stage, retailers offer delivery options, returns, and customer service,
thus, representing a crucial step for the future behaviour of customers (Pham and Ahammad,
2017). According to Pham and Ahammad (2017), customer satisfaction leads to customer loyalty
and the enthusiasm of customers to pay more. The unsatisfied consumer is likely to leave
negative reviews, which would affect other customers in the decision-making process.

To conclude this section, the literature identifies an existing relationship between online
customer reviews and the consumer decision-making process. The key stages have been
identified, and the influences analysed. The next chapter looks at the credibility of online
customer reviews towards the consumer.

2.3 The credibility of customer online reviews

According to several authors and studies in published literature, credibility is represented and
illustrates a necessary aspect of online customer reviews and their influence on consumer buying
behaviour (Guo, Wang and Wu, (2020); Li, Chen and Zhang (2020) and Chou, Hsiao and Chiu

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(2018). Chiou, Hsiao and Chiu (2018) support the argument of online reviews being a credible
source and confirm their influence on consumers' purchase decisions. Therefore, the following
chapter is dedicated to the perceived credibility and trustworthiness of online customer reviews
and their influence on the purchase decision of consumers.

Previous literature has utilised the Elaboration likelihood model (ELM) as a theoretical model to
analyse the credibility and the influence of online customer reviews, which several authors have
stated to be a useful a reliable theory (Lopes et al., 2020; Thomas, Wirtz and Weyerer, 2019;
Wang, Teo and Wei, 2015; Luo and Ye, 2018). According to Lancaster and Massingham (2018),
the ELM by Petty and Cacioppo is a process suggesting two ways consumers are influenceable,
centrally or peripherally. Centrally includes the nature of arguments perceived in the message,
and peripherally includes factors not directly linked to the message's subject (Lancaster and
Massingham, 2018). The consumer may experience a more significant influence one way (Luo
and Ye, 2019).

Fillieri (2016), Lopes et al. (2020) and Thomas, Wirtz and Weyerer (2019) all have investigated
cues that have a significant impact on the consumer's persuasiveness of online reviews
credibility. The results differ depending on the proposed cues the respective authors have chosen
to investigate. However, similarities can be highlighted and identified. The studies of all three
authors highlight the importance of writing style and quality of reviews, central cues,
consequently linking to the theory of ELM. Lopes et al. (2020) describe argument strength as the
most critical cue followed by writing quality to assess the message's credibility. The study adds
that poor grammar leads the reader to question the author's competency and disregard the review
(Lopes et al., 2020).

Similarly, Fillieri (2016), Lopes et al. (2020) and Thomas, Wirtz and Weyerer (2019) agree on
the theory that the higher the number of online reviews is present, the more uncredible the
reviews are perceived by the consumer as they seem fabricated and vice versa. Thomas, Wirtz
and Weyerer (2019) add that long, detailed, relevant, factual and phrased in customer language
online reviews are perceived as more credible and vice versa.

In contrast, the importance and significance of peripheral cues are controversial. Lopes et al.
(2020) argue that peripheral cues, such as rated usefulness, the number of reviews, message
sidedness and a summary of star ratings, represent low importance. On the other hand, Thomas,
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Wirtz and Weyerer (2019) state the significant importance and influence of peripheral cues,
including reviewer expertise, website reputation, and product or service rating, suggesting it is
the predominant route when processing reviews. The different views of authors may be due to
the choice of cues. In comparison, similarities are present such as review ratings used by both
studies, but the inclusion of website reputation and message sidedness may affect the results
crucially and lead to the contrast in results.

Reviews that consumers perceive as credible can be utilised in the decision process as they
decrease uncertainty towards the vendor (Matute, Polo-Redondo and Utrillas, 2016) and
positively affect the purchase intention and decision (Ismagilova et al., 2019).

In summary, this section has reviewed the key aspects that influence review credibility with the
theoretical base of the ELM model and its influence on the consumer purchase decision.

Because credibility is not the only aspect that influences purchase decisions (Guo, Wang and
Wu, 2020), the next part will critically analyse the effects of positive and negative reviews.

2.4 The relevance of negative and positive e-WOM

A considerable amount of literature has been published on the impacts of negative online
customer reviews on consumers' purchase intention and behaviour, and little research on the
positive impacts (Weisstein et al., 2017; Sharifi, 2018; Reimer and Benkenstein, 2016; Filieri,
Raguseo and Vitari, 2019). However, studies represent different findings and opinions regarding
the significance of the influence positive and negative online reviews represent. Filieri, Raguseo
and Vitari (2019) explain the valence of online reviews to be the evaluative tone of an online
review, ranging from highly positive to highly negative.

According to Weisstein et al. (2017), positive reviews lead to consumers having a positive image
of a product or service through its persuasive nature. However, attention should be paid to
negative reviews because consumers are sensitive to negative comments (Weisstein et al., 2017).
The negativity bias theory can support the statement. Norris et al. (2018) describe the term
negativity bias as a tendency by people to put greater weight on negative information than
positive information and thus have a more significant influence on psychological processes. Roh

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and Yang (2021) ascertained in their examination of 951,178 online reviews on the review
website Yelp.com that negative ratings were perceived as more helpful than positive reviews,
which as a result, supports the negativity bias as being superior to the positivity bias.

According to Haque et al. (2020), the findings suggest the impact of negative eWOM on
purchase intention to be highly significant.

Wang et al. (2020) agrees and adds that consumers perceive negative reviews to be more helpful.
The study describes this statement as a negative reading experience undergone by the consumer,
whereby the consumer perceives the experience as specific and detailed, which leads to greater
attention (Wang et al., 2020). Filieri, Raguseo, and Vitari (2019) support the thesis and add that
the higher the negativity in the rating, the higher the rating perceived by the consumer and
influences the decision making. The reason is the rarity of highly negative ratings, which leads to
greater attention-catching. However, other factors such as source credibility, message and review
length can increase and decrease the helpfulness of negative customer ratings (Filieri, Raguseo,
and Vitari, 2019).

However, according to other authors, positive reviews also have an influential role, even more,
significant than negative reviews. Guo, Wang and Wu (2019); Reimer and Benkenstein (2016)
and Sharifi (2018) all agree that positive/pleasant reviews result in an increased likeability in the
purchase and purchase intention compared to negative reviews. However, Reimer and
Benkenstein (2016) comprehensively include that once the consumer regards the review as
untrustworthy, the effect would be nil or could change the intention completely. Sharifi (2018)
even suggests classifying reviews into positive, mixed and negative reviews. The author also
ranks them according to their favourability concerning the purchase intention and states that
positive reviews are the most favoured reviews, with mixed and negative reviews following. The
same ranking can be applied to perceived credibility (Sharifi, 2018).

To conclude this section, the literature identifies different opinions regarding the significance of
positive and negative reviews; however, the negativity bias theory and case studies support the
impact of negative online reviews. Overall, the literature agrees that positive and negative
reviews influence consumers' purchase intention.

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2.5 How motivation influences consumers in searching reviews and its impact

The following part of this paper describes the motivation for consumers to search for online
customer reviews and how depending on the outcome of the purchase, this may affect future
purchase intentions. Thus, the research paper uses Vroom's expectancy theory (Cole and Kelly,
2020) and applies it to the literature to obtain the necessary explanation. The expectancy theory
by Vroom affirms that individuals have aims that seek to minimise pain and maximise pleasure.
Further, individuals could be motivated to put in the effort if they believe a positive correlation
links efforts and performance (Getz and Page, 2020). Cole and Kelly (2020) add that the crucial
point of the expectancy theory is that the individual's behaviour establishes on subjective
perception and not objective. Therefore, the three factors expectancy, instrumentality and
valence base on the individual's perception and all need to be present for the individual to have a
particular motivation (Cole and Kelly, 2020).

While expectancy refers to the expectation that a specific act can lead to a specific outcome,
instrumentality refers to the perception the individual has of when performing effectively to
achieve the appealed rewards. Valence describes the potential rewards strength of belief (Cole
and Kelly, 2020).

According to Weathers, Swain and Grover (2015), consumers' key motivation to read online
reviews is to get closer to completing their purchase decision, the main goal. Thus, it satisfies the
first factor, expectancy. Further, reading reviews would help reduce uncertainty regarding the
product/service, leading to a specific outcome (Weathers, Swain and Grover, 2015). Weisstein et
al. (2017) support the instrumentality factor through their findings and suggest that consumers
search efficiently and save time, thus effectively for online reviews to gain product information
to attain the desired reward (Cole and Kelly, 2020); in this case, the product/service. When it
comes to valence and the consumer's value in the outcome, Pham and Ahammad (2017) state
that customer satisfaction is crucial. It can lead to either loyalty and re-purchase or negative
eWOM, which as a result, could affect future customers (Pham and Ahammad, 2017).

This section has attempted to apply the literature relating to motivation to Vroom's expectancy
theory.

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2.6 Conclusion

In summary, it has been shown from this review that online customer reviews and a range of
other factors influence the purchase intention and decision of the potential buyer. First of all,
online reviews influence the consumer buying process, particularly the information search, the
evaluation of alternatives and the post-purchase behaviour. Further, the review revealed that the
credibility of online reviews plays a significant role. Through the Elaboration likelihood model
(ELM), peripheral and central cues were presented, influencing the level of credibility of online
reviews. Further, negative and positive reviews with the negativity bias theory have revealed that
customers are more sensitive to negative reviews than positive reviews. However, both opinions
are represented, leading to some literature disagreements. Finally, motivators, including the goal
of satisfying the purchase need, reducing uncertainty and saving time, support the influence of
online reviews. Overall, all the discussed and analysed findings play a factor and brought
together affect the purchase intention.

3. Methodology

3.1 Introduction

The following part of this research paper aims to provide and highlight the justifications for the
chosen methods utilised in the study to obtain the qualitative and quantitative data to attain the
aim and objectives of the research paper. Consequently, this chapter is significant for the
researcher and the study. However, it is necessary to comprehend that a method, collection of
methods, and methodology distinguish themselves. While several tasks are represented in
research, such as planning, survey design, analysis of variables and comparisons of situations
given on a set of criteria, methods for those tasks have been established (Mukherjee, 2020).
According to Mukherjee (2020), the tasks and methods can vary based on the type of research
undertaken and the objectives. The methodology is the process; thus, a protocol and procedure
layouts the tasks, supplies the research with the necessary structure and dictate the methods
(Mukherjee, 2020). The researcher applied secondary and primary research to achieve the paper's
objectives for this research.

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3.2 Choice of Research Design

The choice of research design is crucial. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2018) and Malhotra,
Nunan and Birks (2017) agree that it serves as a framework for the research paper and specifies
the required procedures to acquire the information that aids in solving the research aim and
objectives. Thus, the researcher of the study carefully and considerately chose the research
design that would be foremost appropriate to achieve the aim and objectives of the study; in this
case, by using both secondary and primary data collection. Thus, a questionnaire for this study
was conducted to obtain additional data from the existing literature. It was necessary to collect
qualitative data to analyse the extent to which online customer reviews influence the purchase
intention in the UK retail sector to gain insights into the specific country and industry of choice
to add to the literature. Therefore, to reach the target consumers for the study, add to the
literature to answer the aim and objectives and compare the secondary and primary data, it is
necessary to conduct a questionnaire. Further, the questionnaire will offer updated data compared
to the existing literature, such as Pham and Ahammad (2017), conducted in 2016. The data will
also add to a specified country and sector in contrast to the primary research by Matute, Polo-
Redondo and Utrillas (2016) and Haque et al. (2020), which focused on Malaysia and Spain,
respectively in their research.

3.3 Secondary Research

At the beginning of the study, secondary research was conducted to obtain an overview of online
customer reviews, the relationship between customer reviews and consumer buying decisions,
review credibility and the present proposed influences. According to Malhotra, Nunan and Birks
(2017), secondary research can be utilised and supports finding answers regarding discovering
research problems, approach development, sampling and research design formulation and
validation of the collected primary data. Through the collection of secondary literature, including
journal articles, the researcher compared, contrasted, and analysed the findings and discovered
key authors, topics, and opinions represented in the topic area. A list of reference sections from
other authors whose work was relevant to the topic offered an understanding of the author's view
of research and allowed for more profound research. Consequently, the findings assisted in
structuring the theoretical framework, shaped the study's objectives, which were used as
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subheadings in the literature review and, thus, permitted a thematic approach. Moreover, the
researcher could identify outdated research in the topic area and a gap regarding the country and
industry specifics.

Walliman (2022) states that it is necessary to review the quality and relevance of literature when
collecting secondary data. Therefore, reliable and relevant academic textbooks, journal articles
and case studies, free of charge, accessible and relevant to the research project's topic, through
online websites such as UCB-uSearch and Google Scholar were utilised. However, an inclusion
and exclusion table was applied to determine the relevance and quality of the literature and focus
the search.

Table 1. Inclusion/ Exclusion matrix

Issue Reason for inclusion Reason for exclusion

Year of Publishing
(Journals/websites/books)
Type of sources
Language
Discussion of findings
Academic journals, websites
and books after 2015 were
included.
Academic journals, reliable
statistic websites and
academic textbooks to
reference relevant theory.
Sources in English were
included
If the author presented an
unbiased approach by
reviewing all possible
aspects, negative and
positive, then the source was
used.
Academic journals, websites
and books published before
2015 were excluded to allow
for an updated piece of work.
Newspapers, magazines,
blogs, online dictionaries,
outdated material and social
media posts were exclusion
criteria for the literature.
Sources in any other language
than English were excluded
If the author showed signs of
bias by being not critical then
the source was disregarded.

According to Walliman (2022), it is also vital to produce an assessment to apply and seek out the
sources' validity, reliability, and credibility. The researcher followed the following assessment
schematic to prevent using unreliable and uncredible resources. For this particular matter, the
''CRAP'' test by Gournelos, Hammonds and Wilson (2019) was applied to filter unreliable and
irrelevant resources by processing the following questions:

• When was the source written?

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 • How relevant is the source to the topic and the subject area?
• Is the author credible, and are they authorised in their field?
• Is the source written in a persuasive or informative style?

The researcher applied the list of questions during the research process to choose the relevant
literature selectively so that the appropriate sources could answer the research paper's aim and
objectives.

3.4 Primary Research

The inclusion of primary research in the study has turned out to be valuable as thorough the
results obtained by the questionnaire; the researcher was able to identify the rationality of the
literature review by comparing and contrasting the findings. Furthermore, the employment of a
questionnaire aided the research topic in being viewed more deeply. It allowed first-hand data to
answer the research aim and its objectives regarding the influences of the purchase intention,
customers in the UK and the retail sector in a specific manner than with the secondary research
only. Malhotra, Nunan and Birks (2017) describe a questionnaire as a structured tool to obtain
qualitative and quantitative data. It is constructed by questions created by the researcher that are
then answered by the participants. Brace (2018) includes that a questionnaire is designed as a
remote medium that does not require the researcher and the respondents to interact. This allowed
for anonymity and honest replies by the answerers, as the interviewee's personal influences could
not affect the answers (Walliman, 2022). The researcher also chose to administer a questionnaire
due to the flexibility of the research method, easiness, convenience, free of charge and the ability
to reach respondents from various geographical areas to reach the target consumers for the study
(Walliman, 2022).

Therefore, the conducted questionnaire could give insightful, honest and updated information
regarding the UK's consumers' perception of online reviews in retail, the influence, post-
purchase behaviour and demographics of the respondents by gathering quantitative and
qualitative data.

The online tool Google forms were utilised to create and design the questionnaire. The
researcher allowed the respondent to answer anonymously and reach the target respondents on a

20
larger scale by utilising this online tool. The tool automatically generates a result spreadsheet,
tables, and graphs, which the researcher applied.

3.5 Questionnaire Design

Brace (2018) and Malhotra, Nunan and Birks (2017) agree that questionnaire design must be
thought through and planned early before the questions are written down, and the respondents
received. Brace (2018) also adds that questionnaires that early planned questionnaires would
provide the researcher with accurate and qualitative responses. Thus, the researcher has started
thinking and planning about the questionnaire design during the early stages of the literature
writing process to allow thought through questions relevant to the research paper and its aims
and objectives. Consequently, the questionnaire and the questions relate to the objectives and are
as short as possible. During the construction of the questionnaire, the researcher tried to make the
questions as simple as possible to avoid confusion by the respondents, so and allowed for a
straightforward design.

The questionnaire consists of two basic types of questions. These are open-ended questions
(unstructured questions) and closed questions (structured questions). Open-ended questions
allow the respondents to answer in their own words. The researcher has decided to include one
open-ended question in the questionnaire at the end to offer the participants to answer in their
own words and provide a richer insight (Malhotra, Nunan and Birks, 2017). The researcher
designed most of the questionnaire with closed questions with pre-coded yes or no answers and
other prepared answers. Due to the research topic regarding consumer behaviour, closed
questions were favoured. According to Brace (2018), questionnaires on consumer behaviour
mainly include closed questions. Further, multiple-choice questions, dichotomous questions and
likert scale. These have been included to increase the respondents' participation and increase the
simplicity of the questions (Malhotra, Nunan and Birks, 2017).

The questions are linked to the research objectives and the themes of the literature review. The
first three questions are opening questions, and make sure to find out if the participants qualify
for the questionnaire. In this case, if they are over 18 and live in the UK.

21
The next question links to the consumer behaviour process regarding online reviews. This is
ideal for determining whether participants search for online reviews before their purchase
decision. The following questions are relevant for the negative and positive eWOM and to find
out the significance of negative and positive online reviews on purchase intention. After, the
researcher included questions relevant to the literature to obtain information on the credibility of
online reviews and link to the Elaboration likelihood model to gain insight into the significance
of central and peripheral cues. The final part of the questionnaire investigates the motivators for
the online review search and the post-purchase behaviour.

3.6 Sample

To gain some information about the characteristics of the whole population, information from a
sample, also known as a subgroup of the population's elements, is obtained (Malhotra, Nunan
and Birks, 2017). In regard to the sample size, there is no fixed number. However, a minimum
requirement by several authors has been generally given. Although the more respondents from a
sampling size are received, the better, Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2018) detail that
researchers require a minimum of 30 for the sample size and plan to achieve this number. Thus,
the questionnaire of this research paper has achieved 34 responses and meets the minimum
requirements.

The sample was identified fast due to the research aim, which is consumers in the UK. This
includes male and female consumers. To accomplish an ethical sample, the minimum age
requirement is 18 years. The research utilised non-probability sampling, thus, a random selection
in terms of the sampling technique (Walliman, 2022). The reason for choosing this technique is
the short questionnaire length and the difficulty of reaching a whole population. However,
generalisations should be treated with caution. The researcher used snowball and convenience
sampling to reach the target audience due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness (Walliman,
2022).

3.7 Procedure

The researcher was responsible for applying for ethical clearance before the conduction of the
questionnaire. Once the application was successful, the researcher began the designing process of

22
the questionnaire with the online tool Google forms and distributed it online. The Internet can
offer unlimited opportunities regarding respondents' number and location. Cost and time
effectiveness are also advantages of web-based questionnaires and the availability of the results
in digital format (Walliman, 2022).

Therefore, the questionnaire was carried out for seven days and shared on social media with
friends, family and the public. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Reddit were chosen
as distribution channels. The online questionnaire was posted with a short description of the
topic and the sample requirements, over 18 years and living in the UK, including the
questionnaire link. The researcher started collecting responses on 20 April at 8 pm and on 27
April at 8 pm.

Through the anonymity of the web and the questionnaire design, the questionnaire respondents
were able to answer the questions honestly. According to Walliman (2022), frankness can be
encouraged, and bias eliminated. Limitations for people without Internet access are available,
and the lack of quality control may affect the answers' reliability and validity. Google forms
allowed for a straightforward collection process for the results.

3.8 Data Analysis

Before the data was analysed, the researcher undertook the results through a data integrity
process. The process allowed the researcher to utilise the questionnaires by the intended target
sample, and through the opening, screening questions, the process was straightforward
(Malhotra, Nunan, Birks, 2017). Consequently, the researcher had to disregard six questionnaires
due to the respondents not meeting the sample requirement of living in the UK. After the
questionnaires were cleaned from the non-sample and inspected for any errors, the coding of the
results followed. According to Malhotra, Nunan and Birks (2017), software packages
automatically produce spreadsheets are favoured to allow simplified and time-reducing coding.
Thus, the researcher for this paper used. The majority of the results collected were quantitative,
presenting a straightforward coding process. However, the researcher went through the open-
ended question and listed and assigned the answers to codes (Malhotra, Nunan, Birks, 2017).

23
The results were visualised to allow for a clean and straightforward representation of the data.
Therefore, graphical options such as bar graphs and pie charts were utilised to illustrate a simple
understanding (Walliman, 2022). For this reason, the researcher utilised the online tool Google
forms that produced the visualised illustrations for quantitative data to understand the results
better. Once the various figures and tables were produced and collected, the findings were
presented and compared to the secondary data from the literature review.

4. Findings and Analysis

4.1 Introduction

The following section of the research paper is essential as it presents and analyses the findings
from the collected primary data. The researcher has collected secondary and primary data for the
purpose of this research, and both are necessary to answer the aim and objectives of the topic in
this research. The researcher obtained information for the secondary data, in which the main
themes that were discovered during the literature review process are focused, such as the
relationship that exists between online reviews and the purchase behaviour of consumers, the
credibility of online reviews, the relevance and significance of negative and positive reviews and
the motivation of consumers to search for online reviews. For the primary data, a questionnaire
was conducted, and the questions were matched and formed, trying to complement the results of
the secondary data. Consequently, the questions are relevant to the secondary data and focus on
the importance of online reviews, their influence on the purchase intention, the credibility,
motivation and the post-purchase behaviour of consumers.

Primary data is presented, and as appropriate, the researcher compares and contrasts the findings
with the secondary analysis to support the findings and allow for an overall analysis of both
methods.

4.2 Collected Findings and Analysis

The questionnaire achieved 34 respondents with various qualitative and quantitative data to
analyse.

24
Question 1. What is your age?

Figure 3

The pie chart for Figure 3 illustrates that out of the 34 participants, most participants belong to
the 18-24 years old category, which is 58,8% of the pie. The second-largest group with 26,5% is
the 25-34 years old, and 14,7% of the participants belonged to 35-44. Thus, respondents from
three age groups are represented; however, the last age groups could have given the researcher
more insight, representing a limitation.

Question 2. What is your gender?

Figure 4

25
From the results in Figure 4 of the second question, a significant part of the respondents is
female, with 82,4%, and a visibly smaller part who participated are male, with 17,6%.

Question 3. Do you live in the UK?

Figure 5

This question was necessary to ask due to the research's aim to find consumers' results in the UK.
Therefore, for the respondent's questionnaires to be employed, they had to choose yes, and in this
case, the pie chart shows 100%.

Question 4. How likely are you to search for online customer reviews before deciding to
purchase a product or service?

Figure 6

26
The bar graph in Figure 6 illustrates that more than half of the respondents (55,9%) are
extremely likely to search for online customer reviews before purchasing a product or service.
This is followed by 41,2% of the respondents answering that they are likely to search for online
reviews. Only one person equalling 2,9%, has a neutral response. Consequently, the question and
its result support the literature review findings that consumers increasingly utilise online
consumer reviews before making a purchase decision. Therefore, online reviews are seen as an
advantage in the e-commerce world and are highly integrated into consumers' daily lives
(Matute, Polo-Redondo and Utrillas, 2016), as seen from the results above. It also agrees with
the statement by Barbro, Mudambi and Schuff (2020) that online customer reviews represent a
high priority when it comes to sharing experiences via eWOM. The consumer decision-making
process supports the findings, as the majority of respondents indicated searching for online
reviews; online consumer reviews are represented in the information search stage (Kotler and
Armstrong, 2018, Dibb et al. 2019, Lancaster and Massingham, 2018).

Question 5. Do negative online customer reviews for a product or service prevent you from
the purchase?

Figure 7

The pie chart in Figure 7 shows that many respondents (88,2%) have indicated that negative
online customer reviews for a product or service prevent them from purchasing. In comparison,
8,8% indicated that they are unsure, and only one person (2,9%) stated that negative online
reviews do not influence them. The literature supports the results that negative online reviews

27
have a significant influence on the consumer's purchase intention, as can be seen from the clear
results (Weisstein et al., 2017; Sharifi, 2018; Reimer and Benkenstein, 2016; Filieri, Raguseo
and Vitari, 2019, Haque et al., 2020). It matches with the thesis that attention should be paid to
negative reviews because consumers are sensitive to negative comments (Weisstein et al., 2017).
The results also support the negativity bias theory by presenting those negative online reviews
have great amounts of weight that influences consumers; in this case, it can even prevent the
purchase of the product or service (Norris et al., 2018).

Question 6. Do positive online customer reviews for a product or service encourage you to
purchase?

Figure 8

The same question with positive online reviews, asking respondents if positive online reviews
would encourage them to buy a product or service is, with 97,1% very clear. Again, only one
person (2,9%) indicated they are not encouraged. Little existing literature has indicated the
significance of positive online reviews, such as Guo, Wang and Wu (2019); Reimer and
Benkenstein (2016) and Sharifi (2018). All the mentioned authors agree that positive/pleasant
reviews result in an increased likeability in the purchase and purchase intention compared to
negative reviews ((Guo, Wang and Wu (2019); Reimer and Benkenstein, (2016) and Sharifi
(2018)). When comparing the two results of Figure 7 and Figure 8, it can be discovered that
according to the results, the numbers for the positive reviews encouraging purchasing are higher

28
than for the negative reviews, thus suggesting the significance of positive/pleasant reviews to be
the same as negative reviews or even greater.

Question 7. Which of the following factors increases/decreases the credibility of online

reviews?

Figure 9

The results from the bar chart in Figure 9 show that the respondents selected factors that affected
their perception of the credibility of online reviews are distributed on five cues. The leading
factor with 38,2% is review detail, followed by quality with 23,5% and usefulness with 20,6%.
11,8% stated that the website's reputation affects their credibility perception, and 5,9% stated the
writing style of online reviews.

Comparing the results with the literature, the primary research findings compared with the cues
from the Elaboration Likelihood model (ELM) suggest that the significance of some of the cues
does not match with the literature. Therefore, when Fillieri (2016), Lopes et al. (2020) and
Thomas, Wirtz and Weyerer (2019) all investigated cues that influence the credibility of reviews,
the studies of all three papers highlight the importance of writing style and quality of reviews,
which are central cues. However, the results from the researcher suggest that review detail and
quality have a significant influence, followed by usefulness. The writing style, on the other hand,
comes last. The website's reputation for the peripheral cues has the same value as the authors
(Thomas, Wirtz and Weyerer, 2019).

29
Question 8. What motivates you to search for online customer reviews before purchasing a
good or service?

The coding of the responses has revealed that most respondents are motivated to search for
online reviews to find out more about the product. Thus, making product information the most
significant motivator (11 responses). Herby, the respondents, search for reviews to define the
quality of a product or service, find pictures that can support the product information and match
the seller's product information with the customer reviews product information. This is closely
followed by product price (8 respondents). Participants have stated that they are looking for
value from the products when purchasing and do not want to pay a high price for a product or
service that does not offer the expected value. Further, respondents specified that customer
experience of others (6 responses) and website trustworthiness (5 responses) are also motivators
to search for online reviews. Therefore, participants described that searching for peers' opinions
about the product and service to gain more information encourages them to do so and obtain
details about the website or seller to avoid scams.

This again is by Vroom's expectancy theory, which affirms that individuals aim to seek to
minimise pain and maximise pleasure (Cole and Kelly, 2020). Therefore, the consumers put
effort into searching online reviews with subjective motivations, as described in the results (Cole
and Kelly, 2020). Due to the subjectivity of motivators, the primary data findings can not be
compared to the literature review findings. Nonetheless, similar to Cole and Kelly (2020),
effectively searching for online reviews to gain product information to attain the desired reward
is also a result obtained by the researcher.

Question 9. After searching and reading reviews for a product/ service you finally make the
purchase. You achieve your desired results when you receive your product/ service. How
satisfied are you?

30
 Figure 10

Figure 10 illustrates the post-purchase satisfaction, and the results show that 15 people would be
very satisfied after their purchase, and 15 people stated that they would be satisfied. Two
respondents chose neutral, and two more respondents indicated that they would be very
unsatisfied.

When it comes to the consumer's value in the outcome, Pham and Ahammad (2017) state that
customer satisfaction is crucial. It can lead to either loyalty and re-purchase or negative eWOM,
which as a result, could affect future customers (Pham and Ahammad, 2017), which the results
are found in Figure 11.

Question 10. Following the last question, please indicate which of the actions below would
choose to do?

31
 Figure 11

In Figure 11, the results show that a significant part of the respondents (41,2%) would tell family
and friends about the product or service, while 29,4% would write a positive review. 17,6% have
answered to make a re-purchase, and 11,8% chose to do nothing.

As mentioned above customer satisfaction is significant, as it can influence the post-purchase

behaviour of the consumer. Thus, as illustrated in the pie chart above, writing positive reviews,
making re-purchase, and having the positive word of mouth all can lead to customer loyalty and
consequently affect future consumers.

5. Conclusion and further research

The aim of the present research was to examine the extent to which online customer reviews
influence the retail purchase intention of consumers in the UK. Relevant objectives for the
research were established to answer the aim. Secondary and primary data supported the research
to obtain the necessary information. A Theoretical framework outlining the relevant theory
offered the researcher guidance in executing the study and supported the researcher in analysing
the topic in-depth and critically. The following section of the research paper will conclude the
findings and offer recommendations for future studies.

The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that a relationship between online
customer reviews and consumer behaviour exists. By applying the decision-making process, the
researcher identified two key stages of the process to which online reviews belong that are

32
responsible for shaping and influencing the purchase intention of the consumer: the information
search and alternative evaluation. It should be noted that the post-purchase behaviour stage
affects the consumer as well; however, not in the first instance for the potential buyer, but the
actions accomplished in the process could influence potential future consumers.

With the expanding e-commerce sector and Internet, consumers have access to online reviews,
also known as electronic word of mouth (eWOM). The research has also shown that depending
on peripheral and central cues through the Elaboration Likelihood model influences the
credibility of online reviews into how the consumer perceives the credibility of the reviews. The
credibility in return also affects the consumer purchase intention. The investigation of negative
and positive online reviews has shown that the valence of reviews can affect the purchase
intention of a consumer regarding a product or service. Primary data has indicated that the
sample of asked respondents would even consider not purchasing if the product or service has
negative online reviews and vice versa. Thus, making both types of reviews crucially important.
The research has also shown that the motivation to search for online reviews is subjective.

Nonetheless, this study has found that by applying Vroom's expectancy theory, generally,
consumers put in some effort as a particular outcome is expected. Thus, the post-purchase
behaviour is influenced significantly once the motivation is present and the outcome is not
achieved.

In conclusion, all the mentioned factors, such as the decision-making process, the credibility, the
valence of online reviews and motivation, all contribute to the aim of this research. They have
the effect that consumers are influenced in their purchase intention by these factors to the extent
that purchase can be cancelled or achieved.

Further research

Considerably, more work will need to be done to determine the effects of positive online reviews
due to the little literature available. Further, the study's primary data results were limited to 18-
45-year-old respondents. Thus a comparison with the older consumers could be interesting to
research.

33
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Appendices

Appendix B – Questionnaire

38
39
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