Paper Number
1240
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
This study examines the impact of a Query Recommender System (QRS) on user search behavior, sales volume, and consumption diversity within a leading mobile food delivery app in Asia. Through a randomized field experiment, we find that the introduction of a QRS increases user order volumes by approximately 1–2% over a 30-day period. Further analyses unpack the underpinning mechanism that the QRS significantly reduces cognitive effort during the query generation process, leading users to formulate shorter and more generic search queries. This change in query generation behavior broadens users’ exposure to a wider range of merchants and products, ultimately enhancing consumption diversity. These effects contribute to a more dynamic and competitive marketplace at both the individual and market levels. Moreover, our findings underscore the complementary role of the auto-completion feature, which amplifies the effectiveness of the QRS. Users who previously relied on auto-completion showed a stronger response to the QRS, leading to more efficient searches and a greater increase in purchasing behavior. Our research provides valuable insights for platform marketers, indicating that the integration of QRS can drive economic value by encouraging exploratory search patterns and increasing consumption diversity in mobile commerce environments.
Recommended Citation
Zheng, Shuang; Tong, Jack; Kwon, Hyeokkoo Eric; Burtch, Gordon; and Li, Xianneng, "Recommending What to Search: Sales Volume and Consumption Diversity Effects of a Query Recommender System" (2024). ICIS 2024 Proceedings. 8.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2024/sharing_econ/sharing_econ/8
Recommending What to Search: Sales Volume and Consumption Diversity Effects of a Query Recommender System
This study examines the impact of a Query Recommender System (QRS) on user search behavior, sales volume, and consumption diversity within a leading mobile food delivery app in Asia. Through a randomized field experiment, we find that the introduction of a QRS increases user order volumes by approximately 1–2% over a 30-day period. Further analyses unpack the underpinning mechanism that the QRS significantly reduces cognitive effort during the query generation process, leading users to formulate shorter and more generic search queries. This change in query generation behavior broadens users’ exposure to a wider range of merchants and products, ultimately enhancing consumption diversity. These effects contribute to a more dynamic and competitive marketplace at both the individual and market levels. Moreover, our findings underscore the complementary role of the auto-completion feature, which amplifies the effectiveness of the QRS. Users who previously relied on auto-completion showed a stronger response to the QRS, leading to more efficient searches and a greater increase in purchasing behavior. Our research provides valuable insights for platform marketers, indicating that the integration of QRS can drive economic value by encouraging exploratory search patterns and increasing consumption diversity in mobile commerce environments.
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