Why Do Product Prices Affect Review Ratings? Evidence from a Japanese Online Travel Agency

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Sunada, Takeaki
• 署名单位: University of Rochester
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2024.05043
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: Marketing; electronic commerce; word of mouth

摘要

I examine why the prices that consumers pay influence their ratings of products. In the context of hotel reviews on an online booking platform, I find that prices have larger impact on ratings when consumers face larger uncertainty about hotel quality, indicating that prices affect satisfaction through consumers' quality expectation. On the other hand, I find that the mere fact that the reviewer received higher surplus through a lower price by itself is not a primary reason for a higher rating. I also present suggestive evidence of consumer reciprocation, in which consumers experiencing a high-quality staff service likely become more forgiving of higher prices. I show that introductory pricing can have a substantial impact on the distribution of review rankings among new entrants because of the role of prices as quality signals. Understanding the price effect on ratings is crucial to designing review systems robust to potential distortion.