Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec 7;12(12):499.
doi: 10.3390/bs12120499.

Ratings or Sales? The Neural and Psychological Processes of Online Experience Product Purchase: Evidence from a Sample of Chinese University Students

Keyu Chen  1 , Wuke Zhang  1 , Pengtao Jiang  2   3
Affiliations

Ratings or Sales? The Neural and Psychological Processes of Online Experience Product Purchase: Evidence from a Sample of Chinese University Students

Keyu Chen et al. Behav Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Extrinsic cues are ubiquitous in daily commodity consumption scenarios, not to mention online consumption scenarios. Among the many online cues, monthly sales and product ratings are two of the most representative. Some scholars have researched the impact of these cues on consumer decision making, but only search products have been investigated. Based on previous research, this article expanded the types of products to experience products and further explored consumer purchase behaviours and the underlying purchase processes influenced by these two extrinsic cues with the assistance of a neuroscience tool, event-related potentials (ERPs). The behavioural results indicated that the subjects decided mainly based on ratings, while the effect of sales was continuously inhibited. The ERP results further suggested that consumers recognised low ratings and low sales as more negative stimuli than high ratings and high sales, as larger P2 amplitudes were observed. Following the early processing of these cues, low ratings were considered unacceptable and evoked more significant emotional conflicts than high ratings, which was reflected by larger N400 amplitudes. Moreover, in the late stage, high ratings, which activated evaluation categorisation and produced more significant emotional arousal than low-rating conditions, guided the formation of purchase intention and reflected greater LPP amplitudes. Theoretical and managerial implications were discussed.

Keywords: event-related potentials (ERPs); experience product; extrinsic cues; monthly sales; online cues; product ratings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experiential procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
ANOVA and simple effect test results of behavioural data. Note: *** p < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Waveform diagrams of P2 component. (B) ANOVA results of P2. (C) Scalp topographic maps of P2 corresponding to four conditions. Note: * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Waveform diagrams of N400 component. (B) ANOVA results of N400. (C) Scalp topographic maps of N400 corresponding to four conditions. Note: * p < 0.05.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(A) Waveform diagrams of the LPP component. (B) ANOVA results of LPP. (C) Scalp topographic maps of LPP corresponding to four conditions. Note: ** p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. UNCTAD Estimates of Global E-Commerce 2019 and Preliminary Assessment of COVID-19 Impact on Online Retail 2020. [(accessed on 14 March 2022)]. Available online: https://unctad.org/press-material/global-e-commerce-jumps-267-trillion-c....
    1. Mavlanova T., Benbunan-Fich R., Koufaris M. Signaling theory and information asymmetry in online commerce. Inf. Manag. 2012;49:240–247. doi: 10.1016/j.im.2012.05.004. - DOI
    1. Pavlou P.A., Liang H., Xue Y. Understanding and mitigating uncertainty in online exchange relationships: A principal-agent perspective. MIS Q. 2007;31:105–136. doi: 10.2307/25148783. - DOI
    1. Wells J.D., Valacich J.S., Hess T.J. What signal are you sending? How website quality influences perceptions of product quality and purchase intentions. MIS Q. 2011;35:373–396. doi: 10.2307/23044048. - DOI
    1. Roggeveen A.L., Goodstein R.C., Grewal D. Improving the effect of guarantees: The role of a retailer’s reputation. J. Retail. 2014;90:27–39. doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2013.11.003. - DOI

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.

LinkOut - more resources