The Influence of Consumer Skepticism Toward Online Reviews in Product Evaluations
Murilo Carrazedo Marques da Costa Filho and José Mauro da Costa Hernandez
International Journal of Electronic Commerce,
Volume 29, Number 4, 2025, pp. 528-556.
Abstract:
Consumer skepticism, defined as the tendency toward disbelief in marketplace claims, has been extensively studied in domains such as advertising. However, research addressing skepticism toward online consumer reviews (OCRs) remains limited, despite OCRs’ growing influence and the recent decline in their perceived trustworthiness. This research investigates how skepticism impacts consumers’ evaluations of products based on OCRs. Across three experimental studies using different products, samples, and methods, we show that skepticism leads consumers to discount the valence suggested by OCRs. Specifically, skeptical consumers rate products less (more) favorably than positive (negative) OCRs suggest, compared to less skeptical consumers. We draw on attribution theory to demonstrate that this effect is mediated by egoistic attributions toward reviewers, reflecting perceptions of ulterior motives, rather than altruistic motivations. Importantly, we show that mechanisms enhancing review credibility, such as verified guest systems, mitigate the effects of skepticism, aligning evaluations of skeptical and non-skeptical consumers. These findings extend the literature on skepticism by examining both positively and negatively valenced persuasion attempts and introducing attribution theory as a novel framework for understanding the cognitive mechanisms driving the consequences of skepticism. Based on the findings, practical implications on how platforms can mitigate skepticism—such as implementing reviewer verification systems, credibility-enhancing interface cues, and fake review detection tools—are discussed.