{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,18]],"date-time":"2026-07-18T19:30:39Z","timestamp":1784403039723,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,28]],"date-time":"2019-06-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1561680000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["INTR"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,28]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Prior literature indicates conflicting effects of online product information, which may complicate or simplify consumer purchase decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how different online product information (i.e. the choice set size and the popularity information and its presentation) affect consumers\u2019 decision making and the related market outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This research relies on information-processing theories and social learning theory. By stepwise conducting two 2\u00d72 within-subject factorial design experiments, this research examines the effects of the choice set size, product popularity information and product presentation on consumers\u2019 decision making and the aggregated market outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The results show that product popularity information led consumers to either simplify or complicate their decision strategy, depending on the size of the choice sets. Additionally, presenting products by their popularity in descending order resulted in consumers making decisions with a larger decision bias. The results also show that the presence of product popularity was more likely to forge a \u201csuperstar\u201d structure in a large market.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The research suggests that e-retailers and e-marketplace operators should carefully utilize product popularity information. Multiple mechanisms that shape different shopping environments with different orders are necessary to create a long-tailed market structure.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study found the mixed effects of product popularity information when it is presented in different environments (i.e. the large\/small choice set and the sorted\/randomized product presentation). The overuse of popularity information may induce consumers\u2019 decision bias.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/intr-05-2018-0247","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,9]],"date-time":"2019-07-09T03:53:16Z","timestamp":1562644396000},"page":"263-287","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Complicating or simplifying? Investigating the mixed impacts of online product information on consumers\u2019 purchase decisions"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"30","author":[{"given":"Yan","family":"Yu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ben Qianqian","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jin-Xing","family":"Hao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chuanqi","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.2753\/JEC1086-4415110203","article-title":"Utilizing popularity characteristics for product recommendation","volume":"11","year":"2006","journal-title":"International Journal of Electronic Commerce"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref002","volume-title":"Online Shopping Rankings of Chinese Key University","author":"AliResearch","year":"2016"},{"issue":"5","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref003","first-page":"847","article-title":"Information cascades in the laboratory","volume":"87","year":"1997","journal-title":"American Economic Review"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"797","DOI":"10.2307\/2118364","article-title":"A simple model of herd behavior","volume":"107","year":"1992","journal-title":"Quality Journal of Economics"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref005","volume-title":"The Economic Approach to Human Behavior","year":"1976"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref006","volume-title":"An Information Processing Theory of Consumer Choice","year":"1979"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1016\/0749-5978(90)90007-V","article-title":"A componential analysis of cognitive effort in choice","volume":"45","year":"1990","journal-title":"Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref008","unstructured":"Bettman, J.R., Johnson, E.J. and Payne, J.W. (1991), \u201cConsumer decision making\u201d, in Robertson, T.S. and Kassarjian, H.H. (Eds), Handbook of Consumer Behavior, Prentice Hall, NJ, pp. 50-84."},{"issue":"5","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"992","DOI":"10.1086\/261849","article-title":"A theory of fads, fashion, custom, and cultural change as informational cascade","volume":"100","year":"1992","journal-title":"Journal of Political Economy"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01531189","article-title":"Culture transmission and the evolution of the cooperative behavior","volume":"10","year":"1982","journal-title":"Human Ecology"},{"issue":"8","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1373","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.1110.1371","article-title":"Goodbye Pareto principle, hello long tail: the effect of search costs on the concentration of product sales","volume":"57","year":"2011","journal-title":"Management Science"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref012","first-page":"67","article-title":"From niches to riches: the anatomy of the long tail","volume":"47","year":"2006","journal-title":"MIT Sloan Management Review"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"736","DOI":"10.1287\/isre.1100.0325","article-title":"Research commentary \u2013 long tails vs. superstars: the effect of information technology on product variety and sales concentration patterns","volume":"21","year":"2010","journal-title":"Information Systems Research"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"864","DOI":"10.1257\/aer.99.3.864","article-title":"Observational learning: evidence from a randomized natural field experiment","volume":"99","year":"2009","journal-title":"American Economic Review"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1108\/10662240810883290","article-title":"The impact of electronic word-of-mouth: the adoption of online opinions in online customer communities","volume":"18","year":"2008","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"307","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1540-6261.2005.00731.x","article-title":"Financial analyst characteristics and herding behavior in forecasting","volume":"60","year":"2005","journal-title":"The Journal of Finance"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref017","first-page":"1","volume-title":"The 41st China Statistical Report on Internet Development","author":"CNNIC","year":"2018"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref018","volume-title":"Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences","year":"1988","edition":"2nd ed."},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.112.1.155","article-title":"A power primer","volume":"112","year":"1992","journal-title":"Psychological Bulletin"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref020","first-page":"87","article-title":"The magical number 4 in short-term memory: a reconsideration of mental storage capacity","volume":"24","year":"2000","journal-title":"Behavioral and Brain Sciences"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1509\/jmkr.2005.42.3.313","article-title":"When two rights make a wrong: searching two much in ordered environments","volume":"42","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Marketing Research"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"824","DOI":"10.1086\/426618","article-title":"Searching ordered sets: evaluations from sequences under search","volume":"31","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Research"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1016\/j.evolhumbehav.2007.08.003","article-title":"Conformists and mavericks: the empirical of frequency-dependent cultural transmission","volume":"29","year":"2008","journal-title":"Evaluation and Human Behavior"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"175","DOI":"10.3758\/BF03193146","article-title":"G*power: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences","volume":"39","year":"2007","journal-title":"Behavior Research Methods"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"45","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.65.1.45","article-title":"Duration neglect in retrospective evaluations of affective episodes","volume":"65","year":"1993","journal-title":"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1108\/10662240210415817","article-title":"Improving the performance of web access by bridging global ranking with local page popularity metrics","volume":"12","year":"2002","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref027","first-page":"156","volume-title":"Variabilit\u00e0 E Mutuabilit\u00e0. Contributo Allo Studio Delle Distribuzioni E Delle Relazioni Statistiche","year":"1912"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1287\/mksc.19.1.4.15178","article-title":"Consumer decision making in online shopping environments: the effects of interactive decision aids","volume":"19","year":"2000","journal-title":"Marketing Science"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.2753\/JEC1086-4415150304","article-title":"Expert stock picker: the wisdom of (experts in) crowds","volume":"15","year":"2011","journal-title":"International Journal of Electronic Commerce"},{"issue":"5","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"541","DOI":"10.1108\/10662241111176362","article-title":"An eye-tracking investigation of internet consumers\u2019 decision deliberateness","volume":"21","year":"2011","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"issue":"6","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"995","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.79.6.995","article-title":"When choice is demotivating: can one desire too much of a good thing?","volume":"79","year":"2000","journal-title":"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.1177\/002224377401100106","article-title":"Brand choice behavior as a function of information load: replication and extension","volume":"11","year":"1974","journal-title":"Journal of Marketing Research"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1108\/10662240910927858","article-title":"The role of experiential value in online shopping: the impacts of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel","volume":"19","year":"2009","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcps.2007.10.003","article-title":"Man, my brain is tired: linking depletion and cognitive effort in choice","volume":"18","year":"2008","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Psychology"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1509\/jmkg.64.2.66.18000","article-title":"No pain, no gain: a critical review of the literature on signaling unobservable product quality","volume":"64","year":"2000","journal-title":"Journal of Marketing"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"384","DOI":"10.1080\/10864415.2016.1121765","article-title":"How trending status and online ratings affect prices of homogeneous products","volume":"20","year":"2016","journal-title":"International Journal of Electronic Commerce"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref037","volume-title":"Consumer Demand: A New Approach","year":"1971"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref038","volume-title":"Variety, Equity, and Efficiency","year":"1979"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref039","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"752","DOI":"10.1108\/IntR-09-2016-0280","article-title":"The art of appeal in electronic commerce: understanding the impact of product and website quality on online purchases","volume":"27","year":"2017","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"issue":"70","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.2307\/2276207","article-title":"Methods of measuring the concentration of wealth","volume":"9","year":"1905","journal-title":"Publications American Statistical Association"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref041","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.1037\/h0043158","article-title":"The magical number seven, plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing information","volume":"63","year":"1956","journal-title":"Psychological Review"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref042","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcps.2011.10.002","article-title":"Relative visual saliency differences induce sizable bias in consumer choice","volume":"22","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Psychology"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref043","volume-title":"Human Problem Solving","year":"1972"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref044","volume-title":"Psychometric Theory","year":"1978"},{"issue":"5","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref045","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"252","DOI":"10.1016\/j.elerap.2009.04.005","article-title":"Consideration sets in online shopping environments: the effects of search tool and information load","volume":"8","year":"2009","journal-title":"Electronic Commerce Research and Applications"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref046","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"382","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-2909.92.2.382","article-title":"Contingent decision behavior","volume":"92","year":"1982","journal-title":"Psychological Bulletin"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref047","first-page":"534","article-title":"Adaptive strategy selection in decision making","volume":"14","year":"1988","journal-title":"Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref048","volume-title":"The Adaptive Decision Maker","year":"1993"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref049","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"391","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joep.2011.02.010","article-title":"Does greater product information actually inform consumer decisions? The relationship between product information quantity and diversity of consumer decisions","volume":"32","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Economic Psychology"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref050","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"148","DOI":"10.1086\/208690","article-title":"Information load and consumers","volume":"4","year":"1977","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Research"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref051","first-page":"465","article-title":"Herd behavior and investment","volume":"80","year":"1990","journal-title":"American Economic Review"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref052","volume-title":"The Effect of Having Too Much Choice","year":"2008"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref053","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"409","DOI":"10.1086\/651235","article-title":"Can there ever be too many options? A meta-analytic review of choice overload","volume":"37","year":"2010","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Research"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref054","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"308","DOI":"10.1509\/jmkr.48.2.308","article-title":"Complicating choice","volume":"48","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Marketing Research"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref055","volume-title":"Human Information Processing","year":"1967"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref056","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.55.1.79","article-title":"Self-determination: the tyranny of freedom","volume":"55","year":"2000","journal-title":"American Psychologist"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref057","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1287\/mksc.14.2.166","article-title":"Signaling price image using advertised prices","volume":"14","year":"1995","journal-title":"Marketing Science"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref058","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.2307\/1884852","article-title":"A behavioral model of rational choice","volume":"69","year":"1955","journal-title":"The Quarterly Journal of Economics"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref059","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"673","DOI":"10.2307\/25148705","article-title":"The effects of virtual reality on consumer learning: an empirical investigation","volume":"29","year":"2005","journal-title":"MIS Quarterly"},{"key":"key2020042711480063600_ref060","volume-title":"The Wisdom of Crowds","year":"2005"},{"issue":"5","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref061","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"828","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.1110.1312","article-title":"How does popularity information affect choices? A field experiment","volume":"57","year":"2011","journal-title":"Management Science"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref062","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"224","DOI":"10.1287\/mksc.14.2.224","article-title":"Product and price competition in a two-dimensional vertical differentiation model","volume":"14","year":"1995","journal-title":"Marketing Science"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref063","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"293","DOI":"10.2307\/20650293","article-title":"Interactive decision aids for consumer decision making in e-commerce: the influence of perceived strategy restrictiveness","volume":"33","year":"2009","journal-title":"MIS Quarterly"},{"issue":"1","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref064","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1108\/IntR-07-2017-0287","article-title":"Online product category and pricing strategies of land-based retailers: homogenous vs prototypical orientation","volume":"29","year":"2019","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref065","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"885","DOI":"10.1108\/IntR-04-2016-0089","article-title":"Decision quality and satisfaction: the effects of online information sources and self-efficacy","volume":"27","year":"2017","journal-title":"Internet Research"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref066","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.1287\/mksc.1090.0500","article-title":"The sound of silence: observational learning in the US kidney market","volume":"29","year":"2010","journal-title":"Marketing Science"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020042711480063600_ref067","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"604","DOI":"10.1108\/IntR-05-2017-0211","article-title":"The influence of online cross-recommendation on consumers\u2019 instant cross-buying intention: the moderating role of decision-making difficulty","volume":"28","year":"2018","journal-title":"Internet Research"}],"container-title":["Internet Research"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/INTR-05-2018-0247\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/INTR-05-2018-0247\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T21:35:56Z","timestamp":1753392956000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/intr\/article\/30\/1\/263-287\/391062"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,28]]},"references-count":67,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,28]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/INTR-05-2018-0247"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/intr-05-2018-0247","relation":{},"ISSN":["1066-2243"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1066-2243","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,28]]}}}