Judging Category
Basic or Experimental Research
Student Rank
Graduate
College
Business
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Farhad Moeeni, moeeni@astate.edu Professor, Information Systems & Business Analytics Founder, Data Automation Laboratory Neil Griffin College of Business Arkansas State University
Description
Electronic commerce (EC) represents a substantial and growing share of retail activity, where purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Among these signals, average star ratings (1–5), review volume, and rating dispersion serve as prominent cues shaping consumer perceptions of product quality and trust.
Prior research has examined the relationship between ratings and sales using platform-specific data (e.g., Amazon, eBay, Yelp, Expedia). However, real-world observational data often confound rating effects with other influential factors such as brand strength, price differences, promotions, and platform-generated signals (e.g., “best seller” badges). When consumers evaluate multiple alternatives simultaneously, isolating the independent causal impact of rating structure becomes difficult or impossible.
This study introduces a controlled simulation experiment combined with a structured survey to isolate the effects of star-rating signals, including rating distributions and average ratings, while holding brand and price neutral. Participants evaluate 12 simulated scenarios: six present only average star ratings, and six present only rating distributions without the mean. Review volume and star-frequency distributions are systematically controlled. By experimentally separating these structural components, the study provides a causal assessment of how rating signals influence consumer choice in online shopping.
Disciplines
Business
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Memon, Shahjahan Jabbar, "How Star Rating Influences Online Shopping Decisions" (2026). Create@State. 14.
https://arch.astate.edu/evn-createstate/2026/posters/14
Included in
How Star Rating Influences Online Shopping Decisions
Electronic commerce (EC) represents a substantial and growing share of retail activity, where purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Among these signals, average star ratings (1–5), review volume, and rating dispersion serve as prominent cues shaping consumer perceptions of product quality and trust.
Prior research has examined the relationship between ratings and sales using platform-specific data (e.g., Amazon, eBay, Yelp, Expedia). However, real-world observational data often confound rating effects with other influential factors such as brand strength, price differences, promotions, and platform-generated signals (e.g., “best seller” badges). When consumers evaluate multiple alternatives simultaneously, isolating the independent causal impact of rating structure becomes difficult or impossible.
This study introduces a controlled simulation experiment combined with a structured survey to isolate the effects of star-rating signals, including rating distributions and average ratings, while holding brand and price neutral. Participants evaluate 12 simulated scenarios: six present only average star ratings, and six present only rating distributions without the mean. Review volume and star-frequency distributions are systematically controlled. By experimentally separating these structural components, the study provides a causal assessment of how rating signals influence consumer choice in online shopping.
