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Selling to Millennials with online reviews

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  • Mangold, W. Glynn
  • Smith, Katherine Taken

Abstract

Millennials have heavily influenced social media's evolution into an important source of product information. They are increasingly basing their product evaluations on information gathered from online reviews. Thus, companies targeting Millennials may wish to pay heed to online reviews. Which products are affected by Millennials’ online reviews? Do the reviews tend to be positive or negative? Where do Millennial customers look for information amongst the plethora of online venues? As presented herein, a survey of 227 Millennials reveals that this generation is undeniably posting reviews online and being influenced by these reviews. Respondents show a definite preference for two online venues, Facebook and company websites, when voicing their opinions. Reviews are broken down by positive and negative comments, and how product categories fare for each type. Contrary to popular thinking, the respondents were more prone to post positive reviews than negative reviews. Males voice their opinions online significantly more often than females, and specific gender differences are observed by product category. Recommendations are provided for selling to Millennials by leveraging online reviews.

Suggested Citation

  • Mangold, W. Glynn & Smith, Katherine Taken, 2012. "Selling to Millennials with online reviews," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 141-153.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:55:y:2012:i:2:p:141-153
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2011.11.001
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    7. Shukla, Aishwarya Deep & Goh, Jie Mein, 2024. "Fighting fake reviews: Authenticated anonymous reviews using identity verification," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 67(1), pages 71-81.
    8. Lissitsa, Sabina & Kol, Ofrit, 2016. "Generation X vs. Generation Y – A decade of online shopping," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 304-312.
    9. Rae Yule Kim, 2020. "The influx of skeptics: an investigation of the diffusion cycle effect on online review," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(4), pages 821-835, December.
    10. Soo-kyoung Ahn, 2020. "Smart Consumers: A New Segment for Sustainable Digital Retailing in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-20, September.
    11. Andrew E. Wilson & Michael D. Giebelhausen & Michael K. Brady, 2017. "Negative word of mouth can be a positive for consumers connected to the brand," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(4), pages 534-547, July.
    12. Michał Kot, 2022. "An agent-based model of consumer choice. An evaluation of the strategy of pricing and advertising," Operations Research and Decisions, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, vol. 32(1), pages 73-95.
    13. Patria Laksamana, 2018. "Impact of Social Media Marketing on Purchase Intention and Brand Loyalty: Evidence from Indonesia’s Banking Industry," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 8(1), pages 13-18.
    14. Yeneneh Tamirat Negash & Massoud Moslehpour & Pei-Kuan Lin & Shao-Chun Chiu & Yung-Yen Liu, 2021. "Mapping Generation Y Tourists’ E-Loyalty: A Sustainable Framework through Hierarchical Structure and Fuzzy Set Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-22, April.
    15. Šárka Velčovská & Dominika Hadro, 2018. "Generation Y Perceptions and Expectations of Food Quality Labels in the Czech Republic and Poland," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 66(1), pages 325-334.
    16. Purani, Keyoor & Kumar, Deepak S. & Sahadev, Sunil, 2019. "e-Loyalty among millennials: Personal characteristics and social influences," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 215-223.
    17. Zhang, Ziqiong & Zhang, Zili & Yang, Yang, 2016. "The power of expert identity: How website-recognized expert reviews influence travelers' online rating behavior," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 15-24.
    18. Gheorghe Epuran & Ioana Bianca Chițu & Simona Ivasciuc, 2019. "The Augmented Reality Technologies in Tourism: A State of Art," Risk in Contemporary Economy, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, pages 501-505.
    19. Bargoni, Augusto & Kliestik, Tomas & Jabeen, Fauzia & Santoro, Gabriele, 2023. "Family firms’ characteristics and consumer behaviour: An enquiry into millennials’ purchase intention in the online channel," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    20. Faulds, David J. & Mangold, W. Glynn & Raju, P.S. & Valsalan, Sarath, 2018. "The mobile shopping revolution: Redefining the consumer decision process," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 323-338.
    21. Sabina De Rosis & Ilaria Corazza & Francesca Pennucci, 2020. "Physical Activity in the Daily Life of Adolescents: Factors Affecting Healthy Choices from a Discrete Choice Experiment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-23, September.
    22. Johnstone, Leanne & Lindh, Cecilia, 2022. "Sustainably sustaining (online) fashion consumption: Using influencers to promote sustainable (un)planned behaviour in Europe's millennials," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).

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