Let criticism take precedence: Effect of side order on consumer attitudes toward a two-sided online review

This research aimed to investigate whether presenting the same content in a different order in a single two-sided review can elicit different attitudes toward the review and impact consumers’ purchase intention. Specifically, we argued that when sequencing information with different valences in a single two-sided review, the negative-positive sequence generates more favorable attitudes than the positive-negative sequence. On the basis of the elaboration likelihood model, primacy-recency effect, and attribution explanation, we hypothesized that negative evaluation induces higher perceived credibility of an information source, which in turn elicits more favorable attitudes and higher willingness to buy. Via two experiments and a sentiment analysis, this research examined the theoretical mechanism, and the results support our hypotheses. Moreover, we found that the presence of pictures in a two-sided online review reduces the effects. These findings provide an insight into the effect of sequence of information with different valences and implications for marketing strategy.