Consumer participation and the trust transference process in using online recommendation agents

Online product recommendation agents (hereafter RAs) can provide important benefits to consumers. But whether consumers trust RAs and integrate an RA\u27s recommendations into their product choices has not yet been examined. Nor has there been research on whether different levels of consumer participation in using RAs lead to different levels of trust in the RA. Using an experimental design that combined the benefits of a field study with those of a lab study, active consumer participation in using an RA was found to have increased consumers\u27 trust in the RA, which in turn increased intentions to purchase based on the RA\u27s recommendations. The study also proposed and found support for a trust transference process, hitherto not tested in the RA context, wherein trust in the website was a key driver for trust in its RA and the RA\u27s recommendations. These findings extend the extant literature on RAs as well as research in offline contexts on consumer participation and the trust transference process. Managerial implications and directions for future research are also provided

The role of perceived control and gender in consumer reactions to download delays

An empirical study finds that perceived control strongly mediates the effects of perceived speed of a Web site download on consumers\u27 attitudes and intentions to use the Web site. Moreover, results show that men are more likely to react positively to the perceived speed of a Web site download, whereas women are more likely to base their reactions on perceptions of control in the context of download delays. In contrast to past online research, the gender differences are intrinsic in two ways—they are context independent, and they are not caused by length of Internet experience, extent of Internet usage, or type of Internet connections

Perceptions of download delays: relation to actual waits, web site abandoning, and stage of delay

This experiment investigates how slow downloads of shopping web sites are perceived by online consumers, and how download delays relate to web site abandoning and stage of delay. Results show a complex, nonlinear relationship between actual and perceived download waiting, where perceptions level off after a threshold is reached. Furthermore, perceptions of download waiting are found to be more reliable than actual waits in predicting web site abandoning. Finally, delays near the start of the download are perceived as longer than later in the process, and time pressure worsens the effect of download waiting at earlier stages of delay

Consumer participation in using online recommendation agents: effects on satisfaction, trust, and purchase intentions

Online product recommendation agents (RAs) are gaining greater strategic importance as a critical touch-point between marketers and consumers. Yet, the role of consumer participation in using RAs has not been examined. This study shows that greater consumer participation in using an RA leads to more satisfaction, greater trust, and higher purchase intentions, related to the RA and its recommendations. In contrast, the financial risk (associated with the product under consideration) reduces satisfaction, trust, and purchase intentions, and it also moderates the effect of consumer participation on these same variables. The findings extend the literature and suggest actionable implications for marketing strategy

The role of perceived control and gender in consumer reactions to download delays

An empirical study finds that perceived control strongly mediates the effects of perceived speed of a Web site download on consumers' attitudes and intentions to use the Web site. Moreover, results show that men are more likely to react positively to the perceived speed of a Web site download, whereas women are more likely to base their reactions on perceptions of control in the context of download delays. In contrast to past online research, the gender differences are intrinsic in two ways--they are context independent, and they are not caused by length of Internet experience, extent of Internet usage, or type of Internet connections.Perceived control Gender differences Download delays Attitudes Intentions Online marketing

The role of customer contact employees as external customers: A conceptual framework for marketing strategy and future research

Existing streams of literature in marketing, management, and organizational behavior are integrated to propose a conceptual framework that highlights the customer contact employee's dual role as employee and external customer of the organization. Several iterative "cycles of success" are proposed whereby job satisfaction, the employee's patronage of the company's products (i.e., goods or services), and job performance (as customer contact employees) are all enhanced, ultimately leading to long-term relationships (with customers and employees) and profits for the organization. The framework highlights the role of internal marketing as a tool for enhancing the competitive advantage gained by strategically considering the customer contact employee's role as external customer.