From measurement scale to sentiment scale: Examining the effect of sensory experiences on online review rating behavior. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mehraliyev, Fuad; Kirilenko, Andrei P.; Choi, Youngjoon
• Is Part Of: Tourism management. Volume 79(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Sensory experience -- Big data -- Sentiment scale -- Social media -- Customer experience -- Online rating -- Online review -- Prospect theory; Tourism -- Periodicals; 338.4791
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104096
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-5177

Abstract

Abstract: The crucial role of sensory dimensions in customer experiences has been supported in literature. However, traditional self-reported sensory measurements have limited capacity in capturing the multi-dimensional experiences sensed by individuals and articulating the distinct effect of different sensory dimensions on actual behavior. This study is the first attempt to test the effects of positive and negative experiences involving all five senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch) on customer ratings. The sensory experiences reported in social media reviews were captured and explored using text mining and sentiment analysis. The findings show that although the majority of customers' experiences were positive, the negative sensory experiences had higher effect on customer rating. Furthermore, the five senses had different weights in forming overall experience, which provides theoretical contributions to the literature on sensescapes, prospect theory, and discourses on satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Highlights: New methodological technique to analyze big online review data. New multidimensional sensory experience sentiment scale. Application of the scale to restaurant reviews demonstrate the effect of five sensory experiences on customer ratings. Taste, touch and sight experiences are the most important components of memorable restaurant experiences. The negative sensory experiences have higher effect on customer rating, compared to their positive counterparts.