Abstract
This study investigates the effects of a two-sided message on product attitude and purchase intention by using a message structure variable, such as attribute importance in the context of online consumer reviews (OCRs). Study 1 explains the previous inconsistent results of a two-side message by comparing a one-side message and a two-side message by using the attribute importance in negative reviews. Study 2 determines the reasons for the inconsistent results of a refutational two-sided message research by using the attribute importance in negative reviews and website trust. Two experiments are designed to test our hypotheses. The first experiment is a $2{\times}2$ factorial design with 84 participants. The second experiment uses a $2{\times}2{\times}2$ factorial design with 196 participants. In study 1, two-sided OCRs are more credible than one-sided OCRs, and two-sided OCRs that use low important attributes are more effective in making favorable product attitude/purchase intention. In study 2, refutational two-sided OCRs that use high attribute importance render positive effects on product attitudes in trustworthy websites. However, the refutation could negatively affect product attitude/purchase intention in low trustworthy websites.