The Effects of Negative Online Reviews on Purchase Intention and the Moderating Roles of Corporate and AI Chatbot Responses: Focusing on Luxury Brands

This study empirically examines how negative online reviews affect consumers’ purchase intentions for luxury brands and compares the moderating effects of corporate versus chatbot responses. Negative reviews were classified into price, quality, and service related types, and a scenario based online survey using luxury brand was conducted. PLS-SEM analysis revealed that negative reviews significantly decreased purchase intention across all three categories. However, only service related reviews showed a statistically significant moderating effect of response type. Price and quality, perceived as intrinsic values of luxury brands, remained unaffected by rebuttals, while service related reviews were influenced by official corporate or chatbot responses, which alleviated negative perceptions and partially restored purchase intention. These findings suggest that consumers perceive service as an interactive, alterable element, unlike price or quality. The study provides theoretical insights into online review communication as practical implications for reputation management strategies in luxury brand digital marketing.