Chase for lucky numbers and take positive actions

Abstract

Number 8 is regarded as a lucky number in Chinese culture and is preferred over other numbers, especially in financial and retail market. To explore the impact of lucky numbers in room prices, we collect data from a room-sharing platform (Mayi) in China. The results indicate that a room with the lucky number in its price receives more bookings and higher customer ratings than other rooms without that price feature. Moreover, a host setting price with the lucky number 8 will receive more positive ratings. This study contributes to the existing literature and provides practical insights for room hosts and operators in room-sharing platforms.

Host–Guest Interaction and Sustainable Consumption Behaviour on Sharing-Accommodation Platforms: Using a Big Data Analytic Approach

“…Based on the theoretical contributions above, this research proposes the following suggestions for innovation in sharing platforms and service providers (e.g., landlords) to further foster sustainable consumer consumption behaviours. First, it is suggested that sharing platforms and landlords consider promoting 'green customer-exclusive programmes' [93] to attract more potential green customers and further expand the basis of green customers. Second, landlords are recommended to develop their communication skills [58] and the awareness/ability to use the features embedded in the platform websites to create more effective and meaningful online interactions with consumers.…”

“…Previous research [20] has demonstrated that consumers would show gratitude for economic incentives, such as a lower price, and are more likely to engage in sustainable consumption as reciprocal feedback. Similarly, Wang and Yu [56] argue that economic factors (i.e., high prices) negatively affect customers' sustainable consumption behaviour, as well as having a negative impact on future bookings [26], and that rooms with lucky numbers in the price will receive more bookings and customer reviews than other rooms without this price feature [93]. Therefore, based on previous research, this paper proposes the following hypotheses: H3a: The positive impact of the number of host-guest interaction frequencies (the number of host-guest comments) on guests' sustainable consumption behaviour is higher for low prices than for high prices.…”

Number Bias in Clinicians’ Documentation of Actinic Keratosis Removal

“…In Mandarin Chinese, for example, the number “four” has a similar pronunciation as “death”, while the number “eight” sounds like a word for “wealth.” Research has shown that in China, hotel rooms with “eight” in the price received higher ratings, and stock traders decided more quickly and were more likely to purchase lots ending in the number “eight” [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. The association of these numbers with their connotational homophones is similar to the respective fame and infamy of lucky “seven” and unlucky “13” in Western culture.…”