The impact of online review endorsement styles on consumer adoption intention: a persuasion knowledge perspective

Purpose This study aims to explore how endorsement style (explicit vs. implicit) and shopping motivation (utilitarian vs. hedonic) jointly affect consumers' intention to adopt online reviews, and the mediating roles of perceived congruence and persuasion knowledge. Design/methodology/approach Experiment 1 examines the direct effects of endorsement style. Experiment 2 uses a 2 (endorsement style: implicit vs. explicit) × 2 (shopping motivation: utilitarian vs. hedonic) between-subjects experimental design to examine the moderating role of shopping motivation in the relationship between endorsement style and the intention to adopt reviews, as well as the chain-mediated mechanism involving perceived congruence and persuasion knowledge. Findings Implicit endorsements were found to have a stronger effect on adoption intention than explicit endorsements. However, this effect is moderated by shopping motivation. Under utilitarian motivation, explicit reviews align more closely with expectations, reducing persuasion knowledge and enhancing adoption intention. In contrast, under hedonic motivation, implicit reviews are more aligned, reducing persuasion knowledge and enhancing adoption intention. Originality/value Building on previous studies, this study systematically examines the matching effect associated with consumers' shopping motivations and online review endorsement styles. It provides empirical evidence for the chain-mediating roles of perceived congruence and persuasion knowledge and also offers a more comprehensive explanation of the psychological processes underlying the effectiveness of different review endorsement styles.