Identifying the conditions under which online reviews translate into product sales: A sentiment analysis approach

Number of available online consumer reviews has increased dramatically. This research-in-progress study draws on Cue-Summation and Communication Persuasion theories to define and validate the online review positiveness as a multidimensional formative index and conduct a sentiment analysis, using secondary data from Amazon.com, to identify the conditions under which online reviews translate into product sales. Particularly, this study focus on the role of product involvement, review time, product price, and review score inconsistency on the impact of online review positiveness on product sales. Potential contributions to theory and practice are also discussed.