The Roles of Culture in Online User Reviews: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract: Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is a prominent source of information that significantly influences consumer purchase decisions. Recent literature has extensively explored the impact of eWOM on consumers-generated reviews and purchase decisions. However, few studies have analyzed the role of culture on eWOM. We use a novel dataset of Airbnb eWOM messages in order to empirically extend the findings by Banerjee and Chai (2019). We find that the sentiment of individualistic customers is worse than that of their collectivistic counterparts when both groups experience the same level of negative disconfirmations. Furthermore, guests from a relatively more distant culture rely less on heuristics. In particular, quality signals, such as the "superhost" status, are more influential to consumers from a less distant cultural background.