Is this review Helpful? How product gender, verification, and valence shape perceived helpfulness

Online reviews represent a primary source of information and consumers increasingly rely on online word-of-mouth for their purchase decisions. This study examines the influence of product gender-specificity and verified tags on perceived review helpfulness. Analyses of more than fifteen thousand observations of two gender-specific product categories suggest that product category (i.e., women versus men), valence (star rating), and review type (i.e., verified or not) significantly affect review helpfulness. Building on research on the selectivity model and authenticity, this study finds that consumers who read female product reviews (mostly women) have a higher threshold to find a review helpful, and they care more about review credibility than consumers who read male-oriented product reviews. They also put more weight on negative reviews. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.