Does online observational learning matter? Empirical evidence from panel data

Jian Lu, Xiang Su, Yajing Diao, Nianxin Wang and Bin Zhou

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2021, vol. 60, issue C

Abstract: The information presented on a product sales page plays an important role in consumers' purchase decisions. This study examines the persuasive effect, whether a customer's choice is heavily driven by information inferred from others' behavior, and how these impacts are moderated by market age and product type. Results show that online customer choice was significantly affected by historical cumulative sales and times saved. Positive cumulative sales and shop service quality have a significant positive impact on product sales. The times saved have no direct impact on product sales. For different types of products, the times saved of experiential products has a significant impact on product sales, while the shop service quality information of search products has a greater impact on product sales. The influence of online observation learning on product sales will be significantly moderated by a combination of product type and market age. These findings not only offer important theoretical contributions to e-commerce research but also provide practical implications for online sellers and managers of social commerce platforms.

Keywords: Observational learning; Social commerce; Information cascade effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:60:y:2021:i:c:s0969698921000461

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102480

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