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on Marketing |
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Issue of 2025–05–05
two papers chosen by Marco Novarese, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale |
| By: | Jesper Akesson; Robert Hahn; Robert Metcalfe; Manuel Monti-Nussbaum |
| Abstract: | Although fake online customer reviews have become prevalent on platforms such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook, little is known about how these reviews influence consumer behavior. This paper provides the first experimental estimates of the effects of fake reviews on individual demand and welfare. We conduct an incentive-compatible online experiment with a nationally representative sample of respondents from the United Kingdom. Consumers are asked to choose a product category, browse a platform resembling Amazon, and select one of five equally priced products. One of the products is of inferior quality, one is of superior quality, and three are of average quality. We randomly allocate participants to variants of the platform: five treatment groups see positive fake reviews for an inferior product, and the control group does not see fake reviews. Moreover, some participants are randomly selected to receive an educational intervention that aims to mitigate the potential effects of fake reviews. Our analysis of the experimental data yields four findings. First, fake reviews make consumers more likely to choose lower-quality products. Second, we estimate that welfare losses from such reviews may be important - on the order of .12 dollars for each dollar spent in the setting we study. Third, we find that fake reviews have heterogeneous effects. For example, the effect of fake reviews is smaller for those who do not trust customer reviews. Fake reviews also have larger effects on those who shop online more frequently. Fourth, we show that the educational intervention reduces the adverse welfare impact of fake reviews by 44%. |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:feb:framed:00821 |
| By: | Manoj Krishnan Cg (Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School); Arun G (NICHE - Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education) |
| Abstract: | For decades, businesses have struggled with the dichotomy between going green and becoming sustainable. Consumers are frequently seen as the most significant challenge when companies attempt to become more sustainable and greener. Although most consumers claim to be environmentally conscious, their green consumption habits are limited by other life commitments, showing an intention-action gap. There are only a handful of studies have developed an optimal model for predicting green consumer behavior. In this paper, the researcher identified a set of antecedents of Buying Behavior, including Environmental Prosocial Attitude, Green Consumption Value, and Openness to Green Communication, to develop an optimal model for predicting Green Consumer Buying Behavior. The findings demonstrate how widespread environmental prosocial attitudes and beliefs are related to green consumption values. As a result, these green values can have a positive relationship with openness to green advertising and green buying behavior. The research provides new insight into the factors influencing green buying behavior, especially consumer prosocial attitudes. Companies must understand consumers' green values and prosocial attitudes to accept green marketing communications and influence green buying behavior. A developed model is important for companies in creating creative green marketing content for implementing effective green marketing Campaigns to create favorable green consumer behaviors. |
| Keywords: | Environmental prosocial attitudes, Green customer values, Openness to green communication, Buying behavior, Green marketing |
| Date: | 2024–12–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04991813 |