The Moderating Role of Review Dissimilarity on the Relationship between Credibility and Helpfulness

We examine the moderating effect that review dissimilarity may have on the impact of the two credibility characteristics (source and rating) on helpfulness. Would the effect of source credibility on review helpfulness be different for a review with high dissimilar content compared to a review that has low dissimilar content? Would the impact of the review’s rating credibility on its helpfulness increase or decrease with a change in the dissimilarity of a review? Arguments from prior literature indicate that while the moderating effects (i.e., interactions between dissimilarity and credibility) are likely to exist, it is possible the effects could be strengthened or weakened. Our work helps resolve these questions.