Enhancing the relationship between topic relevance and review helpfulness: the moderating role of negative emotional appeals

Purpose The role of topic relevance in shaping perceptions of review helpfulness is well recognized. However, the interaction between a review’s topic relevance and its emotional appeal requires further investigation. This study explores how the topic relevance of online reviews interacts with negative emotional appeal to influence perceived helpfulness. Design/methodology/approach This study develops a theoretical model based on attribution theory, considering the topic relevance of a review, the specific emotions embedded within it, and how their interactions affect review helpfulness. First, we extracted the segmented topic relevance of reviews using the latent Dirichlet allocation model and examined its role in determining review helpfulness. We then focused on three negative emotions—anger, fear, and sadness—and tested multiple models to assess how these emotions moderate the relationship between topic relevance and review helpfulness, either by amplifying or mitigating its effects. Findings The results showed that a review’s topic relevance was positively associated with review helpfulness, though the significance of each topic varied. Moderation analyses further revealed that anger weakened the relationship between topic relevance and review helpfulness, whereas fear and sadness strengthened it. Originality/value This study contributes to literature by introducing a theoretical model that clarifies the moderating effects of negative emotional appeal on the relationship between topic relevance and review helpfulness.