Platform endorsements as drivers of consumer behavior: A quasi-experimental study using restaurant review data

This study investigates how platform endorsements influence consumer perceptions by examining their impact on perceived consumption values in the restaurant industry. Using the user-generated content (UGC) data from OpenTable, the study employs two quasi-experiments to assess the differential effects of platform endorsements depending on different cues: general cues and specific cues. Perceived consumption values were inductively derived by combining Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) with sentiment analysis, and the difference-in-differences (DID) model was used to estimate causal effects. Results indicate that general endorsements significantly enhance conditional and emotional values. Additionally, specific endorsements with “Romantic” or “Scenic” cues, demonstrate a cue-to-value alignment by selectively influencing emotional and atmospherics quality values. In contrast, more objective values such as food and economic value show limited responsiveness. These findings highlight the importance of platform endorsements in shaping consumer attitudes and suggest that restaurants should strategically engage with these platforms to enhance business outcomes. • This study examined the impact of platform endorsements as stimuli on consumer perception. • Using the user-generated content data, six consumption values were derived. • Two quasi-experiments confirmed significant effects of platform endorsements. • Endorsements with general cues significantly enhance conditional and emotional values. • Endorsements with specific cues significantly influence consumption values associated with those particular cues.