When voice–text reviews shape perceived helpfulness: the role of social presence and credibility

Purpose This study examines how review modality influences perceived helpfulness in online restaurant reviews, with a particular focus on voice–text reviews. The study investigates the underlying psychological processes through which modality affects helpfulness evaluations, as well as the role of review valence in shaping these processes. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (review modality: voice–text vs. text-only) × 2 (review valence: positive vs negative) between-subjects experiment (N = 281) was conducted using a restaurant review scenario. An independent-samples t-test and PROCESS analyses were used to examine differences in perceived helpfulness and test the proposed sequential mediation and moderated mediation effects. Findings Voice–text reviews were generally perceived as more helpful than text-only reviews. Although neither social presence nor perceived message credibility alone significantly mediated this effect, a significant sequential indirect effect emerged via social presence followed by perceived message credibility. This pathway was significant for negative, but not positive, reviews. Originality/value This study advances eWOM research by reconceptualizing voice–text reviews as a socially grounded evaluative mechanism rather than merely an informational cue. The findings suggest that voice–text reviews influence perceived helpfulness through a sequential pathway from social presence to perceived message credibility, with stronger effects for negative reviews.