Name
Abstract | ||
|---|---|---|
Recent advances in information technologies have provided firms unprecedented ability to manage online social interactions among their customers. Despite their growing popularity and importance, there are very few studies that have examined the optimal design choices for a firm seeking to maximize returns from firm-mediated social interactions. Our study seeks to examine whether and how a firm can enhance effectiveness of online social interactions, by simply varying the message shared by referrers with their social connections. More specifically, in this study we focus on two key pieces of information contained in the messages -- information about sender's purchase status prior to referral, and information about the existence of referral rewards -- and their impacts on the recipient's purchase decision. We design and conduct a randomized field experiment testing the effectiveness of different versions of firm-mediated messages in creating social contagion, in collaboration with an online daily deal platform. Our preliminary findings suggest that information about sender's purchase leads to more purchases by recipients. The findings of the study will add to our understanding of the effect of different messages on social interaction outcomes, and provide guidelines for optimal design of messages at aggregate level as well as the individual level. |
Year | DOI | Venue |
|---|---|---|
2014 | 10.1145/2617848.2617858 | ICEC |
Keywords | Field | DocType |
peer effect,experimentation,randomized field experiment,referral,web-based interaction,sharing,management,world wide web,theory,electronic commerce,economics | Social relation,Emotional contagion,Computer science,Information technology,Popularity,Communication source,Marketing,Referral | Conference |
Citations | PageRank | References |
1 | 0.35 | 6 |
Authors | ||
3 | ||
Name | Order | Citations | PageRank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tianshu Sun | 1 | 1 | 0.69 |
| Siva Viswanathan | 2 | 327 | 29.10 |
| Elena Zheleva | 3 | 638 | 37.55 |