Clickbait: The Influence of Sensationalized Headlines in E-Commerce Applications on Consumer’s Purchasing Decisions

Abstract

Clickbait is a sensationalized headline prevalent online, aiming to entice people to click a link, an advertisement, or a headline. The study intends to find out how such a phenomenon is perceived by consumers and the extent of its influence on purchasing decisions through the combined approaches of structured survey questionnaires containing factors of clickbait and an interview using unstructured questionnaires inquiring about how it has influenced purchasing decisions. Fifty (50) respondents were conveniently selected for the survey, while ten (10) were similarly selected for the interview. The results gathered through the statistical application of Pearson-r correlation suggested that consumers consider the visual and psychological aspects of clickbait and are influenced by their purchasing decisions. Interview responses implied the apparent influence of a sensationalized headline in their purchases through various factors such as convenience, visually pleasing images or content, and the credibility and adequacy of the information being presented. The researcher recommended that online shops focus more on improving their virtual advertisements and utilize online survey questionnaires containing questions assessing customer satisfaction regarding their product, experience, and visual presentations. It is also advised that online shops conduct thorough research and in-depth application of the current trends. Consumers should be reminded and aware of those enticing advertisements that provide fake content.