Dressing your online auction business for success: An experiment comparing two eBay businesses

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gregg, Dawn G.; Walczak, Steven
• 署名单位: University of Colorado System; University of Colorado Denver
• 刊物名称: MIS QUARTERLY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0276-7783
• 发表日期: 2008
• 页码: 653-670
• 关键词: web site; electronic commerce; purchase probabilities; customer interfaces; buying intentions; product quality; website quality; price premiums; INFORMATION; reputation

摘要

Businesses can choose who they want to be online. Product and company attributes that are directly perceivable in the real world can be manipulated tomake a favorable impression on online buyers. This study examines whether creating a more professional online e-image can signal consumers about unobservable product or company quality, and whether this signal influences their willingness to transact with the company, and ultimately the prices they are willing to pay for the company's goods and services. An empirical study is pre-sented that examines two online auction businesses utilizing different company names and auction listing styles to sell items in parallel over the course of one year, The findings suggest that increasing the quality of an auction business's e-image does increase consumers' willingness to transact with the business, and increases prices received at auction. The study also demonstrates the ability to use eBay as an experimental laboratory for testing a variety of hypotheses about purchasing behavior online.