An empirical examination of online restaurant reviews on Yelp.com: A dual coding theory perspective
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 13 February 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of two types of presentation formats (textual and imagery) involving online restaurant reviews (ORRs). The study examines ORRs on the basis of review usefulness and review enjoyment; the study investigates the effects of the two presentation formats on review usefulness and review enjoyment.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 1,776 reviews were collected from Yelp.com using a Web data-harvesting technique. Hypothesized relations in the model were tested by Tobit regression analysis.
Findings
Empirical results show that different formats of ORRs affect review usefulness and review enjoyment in different manners; whereas both attributes of textual format (review length and readability) affect review usefulness, both aspects of imagery format (physical environment images and food and beverage images) are positively related to review enjoyment. However, review length and food and beverage images are the most important factors affecting both review usefulness and review enjoyment. In particular, the relation between the two formats of ORRs and review usefulness is mediated by review enjoyment.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of this study is the two formats of ORRs in terms of dual coding theory and the mediating role of review enjoyment. The findings help online review website organizers manage the operation of various review formats in a proper manner. Managers can effectively select those formats that would achieve the desired effect.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies on the relation of attributes to online reviews, this study examines the perceptions of ORRs’ usefulness and enjoyment. In addition, this study encompasses diverse ORR factors (review length, review readability, physical environment images, food and beverage images) for a more comprehensive interpretation of ORRs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2016S1A3A2925146).
Citation
Yang, S.-B., Hlee, S., Lee, J. and Koo, C. (2017), "An empirical examination of online restaurant reviews on Yelp.com: A dual coding theory perspective", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 29 No. 2, pp. 817-839. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2015-0643
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited