The impact of online review variance of new products on consumer adoption intentions

Contributing to the literature on online review variance, we investigate consumer adoption intentions in three studies looking at various perspectives regarding new products. Study 1 demonstrates that really new products (RNPs) with low review variance lead to higher adoption intentions, while incrementally new products (INPs) with high review variance lead to higher adoption intentions. Study 2 shows that risk perceptions and uniqueness perceptions are the mechanisms underlying the interaction effect between product newness and online review variance. Study 3 considers cultural values to explore the premise's boundary, finding that indulgent consumers tend to prefer INPs with high variance reviews while restrained consumers are more likely to adopt RNPs with low variance. These findings offer theoretical and managerial implications for managing the online review variance of new products.