Can reviewer reputation and webcare content affect perceived fairness?

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore the effects of webcare content type and webcare source credibility on perceived fairness, in the presence of reputation of a reviewer as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The experiment used a 2 (Webcare content type: Specific vs Vague) × 2 (Webcare source credibility: High vs Low) × 2 (Reviewer reputation: Good vs Bad) between-subjects design. ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses. Findings A significant main effect and interaction effect of independent variables was found on perceived fairness. The moderating role of reviewer reputation was also found significant in the relationship between content type and perceived fairness. However, reputation of the reviewer did not moderate the relationship between webcare source credibility and perceived fairness. Practical implications Marketers should respond to negative reviews by paying attention toward review and webcare attributes highlighted in the paper because doing so might satisfy the consumer. Originality/value This paper attempts to study a combination of webcare and review characteristics together on consumers' perceptions of fairness.