Start Date
16-8-2018 12:00 AM
Description
Online communities have developed to become an integral part of people's lives. They are used on a daily basis to communicate, share or rate. Considering herd behaviour – according to which people discount own information to imitate others – the transparency of other people's opinions by online communities might influence herd behaviour in buying decisions. Nonetheless, despite a large body of literature exploring online communities, herd behaviour and buying decisions separately, little is known about the complex interplay of the three topics. This paper seeks to identify determining factors of herd behaviour in buying decisions influenced by online communities. The factors are identified based on a qualitative content analysis of expert interviews. The findings show that there is no single factor, but rather multiple factors like drivers of online community usage, other influencing groups, segment or product specifics or online community activity. This paper facilitates future studies and adds value for practitioners.
Recommended Citation
Pavlovic, Natascha, "Factors affecting Herd Behaviour in Buying Decisions influenced by Online Communities" (2018). AMCIS 2018 Proceedings. 12.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2018/SocialComputing/Presentations/12
Factors affecting Herd Behaviour in Buying Decisions influenced by Online Communities
Online communities have developed to become an integral part of people's lives. They are used on a daily basis to communicate, share or rate. Considering herd behaviour – according to which people discount own information to imitate others – the transparency of other people's opinions by online communities might influence herd behaviour in buying decisions. Nonetheless, despite a large body of literature exploring online communities, herd behaviour and buying decisions separately, little is known about the complex interplay of the three topics. This paper seeks to identify determining factors of herd behaviour in buying decisions influenced by online communities. The factors are identified based on a qualitative content analysis of expert interviews. The findings show that there is no single factor, but rather multiple factors like drivers of online community usage, other influencing groups, segment or product specifics or online community activity. This paper facilitates future studies and adds value for practitioners.