{"id":2144,"slug":"review-meta-analysis-156-studies","title":"Review meta-analysis — 156 studies, 214 effect sizes, 69,006 observations","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["review-revenue-causal-evidence"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** A meta-analysis of **156 studies / 214 effect sizes / 69,006 observations** (*Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services*) found all review antecedents significantly affect purchase intention, with **review valence strongest (r = 0.563)**.\n\n**Source:** *Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services* meta-analysis. **Peer-reviewed academic.**\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** Independent academic corroboration of the review-impact evidence beyond Luca and Spiegel. Reviews influence purchase intention across contexts, with review valence (positive vs negative tone) the strongest predictor. Reinforces [[reviews-as-conversion-moat]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-difficulty-to-work-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget difficulty-to-work mapping — three tiers of work for three sizes of gap (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tier-2-findability-and-trust","title":"Tier 2 — Findability + trust infrastructure (MODERATE GAP)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T20:03:31.954Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T20:03:31.954Z"}