What drives online course sales? Signaling effects of user-generated information in the paid knowledge market

Zhang, Mingli; Zhang, Yan; Zhao, Lei; Xiao-yong, LI

doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.07.008

Cited by 57 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 65 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In particular, if learners have trust in the ability of the platform, the courses given by lecturers are considered more worth buying, which is consistent with the results of existing research (Kardan et al, 2013). Considering that online learning consumers are hesitant about which platform to choose when buying paid courses, they will endeavour to reduce potential risk and uncertainty during the transaction through the establishment of the trust relationship, which further leads to purchase intention (Zhang et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that OPCs are typical experience products, consumers may judge product quality based on their consumption experience (De Langhe et al, 2016). In other words, in addition to facilitating a trust-building process, the learning-oriented cues can also be regarded as signals to aid online consumers to judge the quality of OPCs, thereby promoting the translation from quality perception into purchase decision (Zhang et al, 2020). The results of this study are consistent with that of Zhao et al (2018), who investigated the knowledge contributor characteristics associated with consumer payment decisions from the perspective of trust in the paid knowledge industry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, fee-based services in the online knowledge payment market mainly include paid courses and paid QandA, with the former being closely interrelated with the latter. For instance, besides paid QandA (Zhao et al, 2018), consumer trust can also be transferred to the belief in the quality of paid courses, thereby promoting their sales (Zhang et al, 2020). What’s more, consumers face difficulties evaluating the performance of the intangible course product.…”

Section: Theoretical Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, in the context of previous studies examining free online courses (Paulin and Haythornthwaite, 2016; Phan et al, 2016) and certain forms of paid knowledge content (Cai et al, 2018; Shi et al, 2020; Zhao et al, 2018; Zhao and Yao, 2017), we make the first attempt to study the purchase intentions of Chinese users towards OPCs. Methods to facilitate online transactions between the two parties on knowledge payment platforms have already drawn attention from researchers and practitioners (Shi et al, 2020; Zhang et al, 2020; Zhao et al, 2018). Our study is of value in expanding the profits of knowledge providers and platforms by retaining online customers or attracting repeat purchases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Understanding consumers’ purchase intention towards online paid courses

Chen

Ding

Meng

et al. 2021

Information Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With the unprecedented development of information and communication technologies, online learning is increasingly seen as an important channel for knowledge acquisition. Although knowledge payment platforms have attracted a considerable number of consumers, little is known about the determinants of purchase intention of online learning consumers for online paid courses (OPCs). In this study, we identify the mechanism underlying online learning consumers’ purchase intentions towards online paid courses (OPCs) based on outcome expectation and trust. We further examine the antecedents of performance expectation and trust from a learning-oriented perspective. Results indicate that trust and performance expectation play positive roles in consumer purchase intention. Moreover, perceived lecturer expertise, prior learning experience, and personal trial experience are positively associated with trust and performance expectation, which in turn influence purchase intention towards OPCs. The data were collected using a questionnaire survey of 443 users of knowledge payment platforms, and the proposed model was analysed through structural equation modelling. This study enhances the theoretical understanding of why consumers purchase OPCs in the knowledge payment context. For information system practice, these findings provide new insights for managers on how to conduct knowledge product transactions effectively.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Understanding consumers’ purchase intention towards online paid courses

Chen

Ding

Meng

et al. 2021

Information Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Based on social capital theory, some scholars found that structural social capital, relational social capital and cognitive social capital have significant effects on knowledge payment behavior [3].Based on trust theory and the adaption level theory, some research has found that knowledge contributor characteristics and their reputation on the paid Q&A platform, as well as customer expertise, positively influence consumers' purchase intention [4]. From the perspective of signal theory, Cai and Zhang found that cost signal, quality signal and usergenerated content significantly affect the sales of knowledge payment products [5] [6]. Shi and Zhang and Yang's research based on information foraging theory (IFT) and social information foraging (SIF) theory found that perceived quality of free content, perceived credibility of content creators, and perceived quantity of participants positively influence users' willingness to pay, and thus, positively affects users' payment behavior [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on moderated mathematical model of repurchase intention on a knowledge internet platform: The mediation mechanism and boundary conditions

Li¹,

Gao²

2022

HSET

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Initial purchase expectation disconfirmation does not necessarily reduce consumer repurchase intention on a knowledge payment platform. This paper constructs a moderated mediation model to explore the positive impact mechanism and boundary conditions of initial purchase expectation disconfirmation on repurchase intention. With 524 questionnaire surveys, this paper conducts empirical analysis. The main findings are as follows: First, initial purchase expectation disconfirmation positively affects consumer repurchase intention by stimulating the platform search effort. Second, three boundary conditions affect such a mediation mechanism: subjective norms, anticipated regret, and alternative attractiveness. Specifically, the higher the subjective norms and anticipated regret the consumer has, the stronger the stimulating effect of initial purchase expectation disconfirmation on platform search efforts. The higher the platform alternative attractiveness, the stronger the optimistic prediction of platform search efforts on the platform repurchase intention. The conclusion deepens the theoretical mechanism of how initial purchase expectation disconfirmation affects platform repurchase intention.

show abstract

Driving eco‐friendly product purchases through social media: How does peer influence work?

Chen,

Li,

Yang

et al. 2024

J of Consumer Behaviour

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social media platforms expose individuals to both peer and marketer influences. While these influences have garnered significant research attention regarding their impact on consumer behaviors, the findings have been a subject of debate. This research examines how peer influence from user‐generated content (UGC) differs from marketer influence from marketer‐generated content (MGC) in its effect on consumers' eco‐friendly product (EFP) purchases and how peer influence takes place. Study 1 uses online field data from an e‐commerce company and suggests that peer influence is associated with more sales, whereas there is no empirical evidence to support a similar effect for marketer influence. Utilizing online survey data collected from social media users, Study 2 further reveals that informational and normative peer influences significantly increase consumers' purchase intention via environmental self‐efficacy and positive moral emotion. Notably, tie strength with the influencing peer plays a crucial role in moderating the relationship between different peer influences, the mediators, and the mediation paths. Our research advances knowledge of peer influence on EFP consumer behaviors, extends the UGC literature through the lens of peer influence and tie strength, and offers practical implications for social media marketers and policymakers promoting eco‐friendly products.

show abstract

What drives online course sales? Signaling effects of user-generated information in the paid knowledge market

Cited by 57 publications

References 65 publications

Understanding consumers’ purchase intention towards online paid courses

Understanding consumers’ purchase intention towards online paid courses

Research on moderated mathematical model of repurchase intention on a knowledge internet platform: The mediation mechanism and boundary conditions

Driving eco‐friendly product purchases through social media: How does peer influence work?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About