Why is Yelp a Popular Review Site? Instant Gratification and Information Foraging
Photo by Steve Daniel, Unsplash
When you look for a restaurant to go to, what do you do?
Many consumers naturally turn to websites such as Yelp, where you can find reviews of the food, and service, along with photos from other people’s experiences.
But what makes for a desirable review website? And how much information do consumers actually need before making what they feel is an informed decision?
Past literature implies that instant gratification is key: consumers are constantly expecting a quick answer to satisfy their needs.
A study by Makoto Nakayama of DePaul University and Yun Wan of the University of Houston-Victoria explores this relationship between information foraging behavior and instant gratification when searching for restaurants.
Methodology: Instant Gratification, Information Foraging, and Food Review Websites
Study 1: Review of Viewing Behaviors. Study 1 examined viewing behavior on restaurant reviews. In this experiment, 161 participants were asked to find a Japanese restaurant to go to with a friend. Each participant was provided a budget of $100.
The researchers created a platform similar to Yelp that provides a map, photos of the food, and reviews. Once finished with the task of finding a restaurant, they submitted their browsing history and completed a survey on their Japanese dining frequency and browsing behavior in the past.
On average, the participants reported being familiar with Japanese restaurants. Most consumers spend less than five minutes reading restaurant reviews. It was also found that they usually only read five or fewer reviews. Younger participants and those who have a high frequency of Japanese restaurant dining spent less time reading reviews.
Study 2: Instant Gratification. Study 2 explored the consumer’s expectation for quick answers on food and service satisfaction.
One hundred and twelve participants were asked if they have used Yelp. Then, they were asked how many reviews they think they read and how many minutes they think they spend reading before making a decision on a restaurant.
Results imply that individuals who have not used Yelp on average expected more time and read more reviews compared to individuals who have used Yelp. Therefore, people who are comfortable with the website will spend less time on it once they are satisfied.
Results and Implications: The Instant Gratification of Review Websites
In exploring information foraging with the goal of receiving instant gratifications, the researchers found that consumers expect to spend more time ciphering through reviews than they actually do.
Specifically, this study found that consumers on average spend four to five minutes reading reviews and only read around five total. Within the five reviews, only three are heavily considered for decision making.
The short time window and pursuit for instant gratification imply that the content immediately shown to a consumer when they enter a website is the most important. Therefore, the researchers from this study suggest that review websites with quick information access will have more traffic.
Understanding consumer behavior and the influence of instant gratification is crucial when it comes to information searching. Our time is valuable, so why spend more than needed scrolling through review after review? To be efficient in the restaurant search, it’s helpful to realize that your decision will only be influenced by a fairly small amount of information. This is especially true when using your go-to review website.
All in all - savor the food itself, but keep the restaurant search short and sweet.
Your Pop Neuro Consumer Behavior Insights
Consumers pursue instant gratification when searching for information online
On average, consumers spend around four to five minutes reading reviews and only read around five total
Individuals who have used a review website in the past will spend less time on it than those who have never visited the website
On average, three reviews are actually considered when consumers are making a decision
Consumers expect to spend more time searching through reviews than they actually do
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