The Interplay of Overall and Feature Ratings
(A2025-125925)

AUTHORS

Rahil Hosseini, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Christophe Lembregts, RSM Erasmus University; bram van den bergh, erasmus university

ABSTRACT

Overall ratings (OR) are widely recognized for their influence on purchasing decisions and sales, yet research has shown that they often fail to accurately reflect objective product quality. In response, review platforms such as Amazon, TripAdvisor, and RateBeer have introduced feature ratings (FR), which assess specific product attributes. Notably, FRs frequently deviate from ORs, raising questions about their relative importance in shaping pre-purchase evaluations. This project investigates whether discrepancies between FRs and ORs influence consumer decision-making and how individuals integrate these ratings when forming product evaluations. We found that, despite people explicitly stating that ORs carry more weight, they tend to overemphasize FRs in their evaluations. Our Findings contribute to understanding the interplay of aggregated and detailed ratings in consumer judgment, offering implications for platforms aiming to optimize their review systems.