The Salience of Less Important Product Attributes

Abstract

The significance of product attributes, as reflected in online reviews during the initial purchase, may undergo changes following positive or negative product usage experiences. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether positive or negative product consumption experiences influence shifts in the perceived importance of product attributes and subsequent product choices, based on online quality ratings by attributes. A series of experiments demonstrated that the importance associated with an attribute's expectation in the pre-purchase process shifted after a negative consumption experience with that attribute. The results showed that a change in both attribute importance and product choice following a negative attribute experience. A less important attribute that malfunctioned during the consumption experience became more crucial in the subsequent purchase (Study 1). However, this shift in importance may not be universal for all attributes; it was observed only when the attribute was moderately important (Study 2). This study contributes valuable empirical findings to the existing literature on online reviews by highlighting dynamic shifts in the importance weight of product attributes. E-commerce practitioners are encouraged to allow formal purchasers to leave product reviews without time constraints, providing a platform for reflecting users' lifelong consumption experiences.