Research Shows Reviews from Solo Versus Accompanied Consumers Carry More Influence

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The most trusted reviewers of a leisure experience — like an art gallery, museum, movie or zoo — are the people who do the activity alone. That's according to researchers from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and Oklahoma State University.

Rebecca Ratner, Dean's Professor of Marketing at UMD, has studied the solo consumer for more than a decade. Her research looks at people's reluctance to do activities alone and finds that they often enjoy solo experiences more than they thought they would. Her latest research, "The Influential Solo Consumer: When Engaging in Activities Alone (vs. Accompanied) Increases the Impact of Recommendations" in the Journal of Marketing Research, shows that other people are more likely to follow the recommendations of someone who did an activity alone rather than with others.

That's because people assume someone who does an activity alone is more focused on the activity itself, says Ratner, who did the research with Yuechen Wu of Oklahoma State.

For example, she says, if someone tells you they went to the zoo alone, you probably assume it's because they really like animals. But if they went with a friend, it could be just because they wanted to do something outside on a nice day.

"People think that someone who does stuff alone must really be interested in or knowledgeable about that activity," Ratner says. They also assume a solo consumer is really paying attention to the details of their experience and will be a more reliable source about it.

"We started measuring that effect and found that when people think the solo person is more interested in the focal domain or activity, that makes their review carry more weight," she says.

Ratner and Wu used actual reviews from Tripadvisor, which include details from each reviewer about who they were with. They compared solo reviews with reviews from people accompanied by friends or family. They found that other Tripadvisor users gave more "likes" (by clicking a thumbs-up button) to reviews and recommendations from people who did something alone. The researchers confirmed the results with several lab experiments, where they asked participants a series of questions about people engaged in activities, either solo or accompanied, and how much they thought that person was focused on the activity. They measured the extent to which participants thought a person's review was based on the quality of the activity or any socializing they did during the experience.

Ratner says when people learned that someone participated in an activity accompanied, they were more likely to discount that person's review because they couldn't determine whether the review was based on the actual activity — the art, movie, exhibits, etc. — or a result of the other people they were with.
The same basic effect held up even when the reviews were negative.

"We got our same pattern where people were more likely to say they would heed the advice of the solo person. So if a solo person says 'Don't go,' they're more likely to listen," Ratner says. "It's just the fact that they are alone that makes others perceive them as more credible."

Word-of-mouth recommendations are very important to marketers and individuals, she says. And this research shows that the recommendations from people who were alone hold more significance.

For individuals, Ratner hopes more people take a cue from other solo consumers that they can do these kinds of activities even without a companion:
"Part of the takeaway for us is trying to encourage those people who are reluctant to just get out there and do the thing that they would find meaningful or interesting," Ratner says. "Don't let it stop you if you don't happen to have a friend or a partner or a child to go with you that day. Live your life and do the things that you think would be fun."

And if you do get out there, tell people about your experience, she says.

"You'll be a better word-of-mouth source about your experience — what you say to people afterwards will be even more influential."
Marketers should take note, says Ratner. If they want influential reviews about their experiences, they should encourage people to come solo and write reviews, she says. "Don't neglect your solo patrons and customers. Treat them well. What they say actually is going to carry a lot of weight."

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski, [email protected]

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business