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What drives online course sales? Signaling effects of user-generated information in the paid knowledge market

Mingli Zhang, Yan Zhang, Lu Zhao and Xiaoyong Li

Journal of Business Research, 2020, vol. 118, issue C, 389-397

Abstract: The emergence of a paid knowledge market provides knowledge contributors a way to get economic repay from their sharing, but little is known about the determinants of sales of those paid knowledge content. To study this, we identify three user-generated signals: the rating of content product, followers of content producer, and upvotes content producer gains, which may influence consumers' content quality perceptions and purchase decisions. Drawing on a panel data set of 6380 online live courses, we propose a new perspective of signaling effect by distinguishing the influence of the flow and stock of signals. Hypotheses are tested using fixed-effect regression and panel vector autoregression methodology. The result suggests a positive impact of ratings and followers on sales, a negative impact of upvotes on sales, and reveals the dynamic interactivity between the flow of signals and sales. These findings offer insights into signaling theory and knowledge product transactions.

Keywords: Paid knowledge content; User-generated content; Signaling theory; Sales; Fixed-effect regression; Panel vector autoregression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:118:y:2020:i:c:p:389-397

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.07.008

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