Abstract
As firms continue to use their right of reply on social media, deciding on when and how to respond to both positive and negative reviews has been an open question. This study investigates the mediating effect of review consensus’ on webcare and customer behavioral intentions. Drawing on signaling theory, cue consistency theory, and moral affect theory, the study specifically examined how a review consensus affects customers’ evaluation of a firm after they read an appreciative or accommodative webcare. Young consumers totaling about 282 were recruited from a Southeastern University in Nigeria to participate in a 2(consensus: high vs. low) × 2(webcare: accommodative vs. appreciative) between-subjects factorial design experiment. The findings showed that a positive significant effect for appreciative webcare on customer patronage and recommendation intentions. Also, review consensus was found to have a contrasting effect on appreciative webcare and customer behavoiural intentions. The theoretical and practical implications is discussed.
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