Internet-facilitated consumer-to-consumer communication: the moderating role of receiver characteristics

This study explores relationships among several factors that may influence the persuasive power of online consumer-to-consumer communication. The results call into question the assumption that consumer remarks posted on an independent online forum will automatically be more persuasive than remarks posted on a corporate website. Instead, the findings suggest that reactions to consumer-generated product reviews are moderated by receiver characteristics such as product involvement and experience with offline consumer-to-consumer communication.

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