消費者如何解讀線上熱門訊息

Abstract

產品的熱門訊息(如銷售量等)是一個在網路上唾手可得的重要資訊，可作為消費者降低購買決策不確定性的參考依據。過去研究假設熱門訊息被消費者解讀成是一個產品品質的指標，使得已經熱賣的產品可以進一步刺激其銷售量。除了品質評估的機制外，消費者也可以透過社會比較(Social Comparison)的機制來解讀熱門訊息。在社會比較的機制中，消費者可以和其他人做比較，藉此評估他們的決策。消費者可以和自己相似的人做比較，即平行比較(Lateral Comparison)，或是和比自己好的人做比較，即向上比較(Upward Comparison)。本研究檢驗兩種可能解讀熱門訊息的機制(產品的品質評估和社會比較)對消費者購買意圖的影響，而研究採取2 (熱門訊息：高與低) x 3 (解讀機制：品質評估、向上比較和平行比較)受測者間因子實驗設計。實證結果顯示，使用品質評估或平行比較機制的消費者對於熱門產品的購買意圖比較高。相反地，採用向上比較機制的消費者對於不熱門的產品比較有購買意圖。最後，我們會進一步討論本研究結果在網路行銷市場上的管理意涵。

Popularity information of products (e.g., sales volume), now readily available online, can be an important information consulted by consumers to decrease uncertainty of purchase decisions. Past research has assumed that popularity information is interpreted as an indicator of product quality such that an already high level of popularity can further boost sales volume. Besides the mechanism of quality evaluation, the information of popularity can also be processed with the mechanism of social comparison, where consumers compare themselves with other people to evaluate their decisions. Consumers might compare with similar others, i.e., lateral comparison, or with better-off others, i.e., upward comparison. This study examines the effects of these two possible information processing mechanisms of popularity information on consumers’ purchase intention: product quality evaluation and social comparison. The experiment was conducted with a 2 (popularity information: high vs. low) x 3 (processing mechanism: quality evaluation, upward comparison and lateral comparison) between-subjects factorial design. The empirical results show that consumers who used the mechanisms of quality evaluation or lateral comparison reported a greater purchase intention for popular products. In contrast, those employed the upward comparison mechanism reported a favorable purchase intention towards less popular products. The managerial implications of our study results on Internet market are further discussed.