Credibility in E-WOM: how review perceptions impact their persuasiveness

Previous research illustrated the impact of (a) a review's valence and (b) its perceived credibility on customers' product attitudes. Though both might have independent effects on product attitudes, we propose they are interrelated. To test the different possible interrelations, we used a between subjects experimental design with two conditions (positive versus negative review). Valence predicted credibility, while credibility acted as a mediator between review valence and product attitudes. Adding to this the finding that valence moderates the relation between credibility and product attitudes, our study obtained evidence for a so called moderated mediation model.