The Importance of Online Reviews in Developing Economies: Investigating the Perspective of Consumers in North Africa

Online reviews play a crucial role in consumers’ online decision-making. While the importance of reviews for consumers in developed economies is well understood, little is known about their importance for consumers in developing economies. Due to different cultural dimensions like uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and individualism, consumers’ review reading and writing behavior in developing economies may differ from that in developed economies. Moreover, e-commerce in Africa will potentially grow in the coming years, raising the interest in understanding the key factors that influence consumers’ online decisions. To fill the research gap, we investigate online reviews’ importance for consumers in North Africa using Hofstede’s framework as a theoretical anchor. We conducted a survey-based study with 618 consumers from North Africa, mainly Tunisia and Egypt. We found cross-country similarities and differences. Beyond implications for practitioners, we contribute to research on online reviews by investigating their importance for consumers in North Africa.