Social Influence Bias in e-Commerce: Exploring the Role of Social Information
Author
Pedersen, Kathrine Lindskov
Term
4. term
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-06-01
Pages
52
Abstract
De seneste ti år er onlinehandel vokset kraftigt, og selv traditionelle butikker har tilpasset deres markedsføring til nye forbrugsmønstre. Når e-handel vokser, møder forbrugere mange former for social påvirkning på webshops—oplysninger skabt af andre kunder, fx anmeldelser og stjernebedømmelser. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan sådan opinion information påvirker menneskers købsbeslutninger på online shopping-sider. Vi indledte med et litteraturreview og formulerede en problemstilling og fire forskningsspørgsmål, som dannede grundlag for et survey-baseret studiedesign. Efter en pilotundersøgelse indsamlede vi svar fra en online rekrutteret deltagergruppe og analyserede data for at besvare problemstillingen og forskningsspørgsmålene. Vores resultater udfordrer den udbredte antagelse om, at sociale signaler i e-handel har stor styringseffekt. Den blotte tilstedeværelse af opinion information havde en svagere effekt end forventet. I vores data var der kun ringe eller ingen sammenhæng mellem at se sådanne oplysninger og intentionen om at købe eller anbefale et produkt. Det tyder på, at brugergenereret meningsindhold alene ikke nødvendigvis driver købsintentioner, og at andre faktorer sandsynligvis spiller en større rolle i online købsbeslutninger.
Over the past decade, online shopping has grown rapidly, leading even traditional retailers to adjust their marketing to new buying habits. As e-commerce expands, shoppers encounter many forms of social influence on websites—information created by other consumers, such as reviews and ratings. This master's thesis examines how such opinion information affects people’s decisions to buy products on online retail sites. We began with a review of prior research and formulated a problem statement and four research questions, which informed a survey-based study design. After piloting the questionnaire, we collected responses from an online sample and analyzed the data to address the problem statement and research questions. Our results challenge common assumptions about the power of social cues in e-commerce. The mere presence of opinion information had a weaker effect than expected. In our data, there was little to no link between seeing such information and intending to purchase or recommend a product. This suggests that, on its own, user-generated opinion information may not strongly drive purchase intentions, and that other factors likely play a larger role in online shopping decisions.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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