Seller reputation or product presentation? An empirical investigation from cue utilization perspective. Issue 3 (June 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Qiuzhen; Cui, Xiling; Huang, Liqiang; Dai, Yiling
• Is Part Of: International journal of information management. Volume 36:Issue 3(2016:Jun.)
• Page Start: 271
• Page End: 283
• Publication Date: 2016-06
• Subjects: Product presentation -- Seller reputation -- Perceived product quality -- Product involvement -- Eye-tracking; Social sciences -- Information services -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; Information science -- Periodicals; Management information systems -- Periodicals; Knowledge management -- Periodicals; Sciences sociales -- Documentation, Services de -- Périodiques; Sciences sociales -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Sciences de l'information -- Périodiques; Systèmes d'information de gestion -- Périodiques; Information science; Management information systems; Social sciences -- Information services; Social sciences -- Research; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 025.52068
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.12.006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-4012

Abstract

Highlights: This study investigates the joint effects of seller reputation and product presentation on perceived product quality. The way of cues utilization in customer's product quality assessment is contingent on the product involvement. The effect of product presentation on product evaluation is weakened by seller reputation under low-involvement situations. High rich product presentation can capture more attention and the effect is also contingent on the level of product involvement. Abstract: This study examines the interaction effects of two types of cues in different scopes (i.e., seller reputation as a high-scope cue and product presentation as a low-scope cue) on consumer product quality evaluation, under different involvement situations. Drawing on the cue utilization theory and involvement-related literature, we propose that cues used in people's decision making processes are contingent on product involvement. Through the conduction of behavioral experiments with eye-tracking technology, the findings show that, under high-involvement situations, both seller reputation and product presentation significantly and independently influence product quality evaluation while their interaction effect does not. While under low-involvement situations, seller reputation significantly influences the product evaluation and moderates the effect of product presentation on consumer product quality evaluation. The effect of product presentation on product evaluation is weakened by seller reputation. The findings, to some extent, are reinforced by the eye-tracking data through the trace and analysis of fixation count and fixation time. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.