Purpose Online consumer review (OCR) serves as a valuable source of information for service management. Previous studies on the trustworthiness of OCRs have primarily focused on one-time evaluations. Less attention was paid to other commenting mechanisms that enable the same buyers to share their shopping experiences at two different time points after purchase and use, termed a two-stage review. This study aims to explore how the interaction among review combinations, review interval and temporal distance shapes the trustworthiness of a two-stage review. Design/methodology/approach This study presents an experimental design that examines the effect of review combinations on review trustworthiness and the moderating effect of review interval and temporal distance on this relationship. The authors employ analysis of variance and moderation analysis to test their hypotheses, using an online yoga course as the focal product in the experimental stimuli. Findings A significant interaction effect exists between review intervals and review combinations on review trustworthiness. Specifically, two-stage reviews with longer intervals are perceived as more trustworthy, as readers interpret them as evidence of reflective evaluation and reduced manipulation risk. In contrast, short-interval reviews, particularly those shifting from negative to positive, are viewed as suspicious and less credible. However, no significant interaction effect exists between temporal distance and review combinations on review trustworthiness, representing that no matter whether review readers are urgent or leisurely to purchase the products or services, it does not affect how they evaluate the review trustworthiness of a specific review combination. Originality/value This is the first study to explore the impact of construal level on two-stage review and their review trustworthiness. The research findings also contribute to e-commerce platforms with two-stage reviews to properly manage OCRs and prioritize the trustworthy ones for consumers to enhance the service value.
Tsen et al. (2026) studied this question.