Purpose

This study aims to explore the effect of two digital nudging technologies that is overt digital nudging (ODN) and covert digital nudging (CDN), on consumers’ choices of nudged options in the context of online customization systems (OCS).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper designed a 2 (ODN: yes/no) by 2 (CDN: yes/no) full factor between-subject lab experiment in the context of online travel package customization. This paper collected and analyzed the number of nudged options (the intermediate options) of choices among consumers in these four scenarios.

Findings

ODN and CDN have positive effects on consumers’ choices of nudged options in online customization (OC). In addition, mixed nudge (a combination of ODN and CDN) has a more significant effect on consumers’ choices of nudged options in OC than using CDN only.

Research limitations/implications

This study focused only on the choice behavior of consumers in the customization context and did not analyze their attitude change. The present study used vendor recommendation as the proxy variable of ODN and default option as the proxy variable of CDN. A future study could explore other instances of ODN and CDN.

Practical implications

This study explores the effects of digital nudging technologies in the context of OCS. The study provides clear guidance for customization vendors on whether to use digital nudging tools and their combinations, and which tools should be preferred.

Social implications

Vendors can adopt digital nudging technology to persuade consumers to choose nudged options. This nudging effect can make consumers’ choices predictable and less uncertain, thus adding profits for vendors.

Originality/value

First, the study focuses on the impact of digital nudging on consumers’ choices and enriches the understanding of the impact of customization system design on consumers’ choices. Second, this paper put forward a new classification method for digital nudging and proposed, respectively, the effect mechanisms on consumers’ customization choices. Third, this study explores the effect of combining multiple nudging tools in OC context on consumers’ choices, which deepens the understanding of the interactive effects of different types of nudging tools.

中文翻译：

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公开还是秘密？不同数字轻推对消费者定制选择的影响

目的

本研究旨在探讨公开数字助推 (ODN) 和隐蔽数字助推 (CDN) 这两种数字助推技术对在线定制系统 (OCS) 背景下消费者选择助推选项的影响。

设计/方法/方法

本文在在线旅游套餐定制的背景下设计了一个2（ODN：是/否）乘2（CDN：是/否）全因子受试者间实验室实验。本文收集并分析了这四种情景下消费者选择的微调选项（中间选项）的数量。

发现

ODN和CDN对消费者在在线定制（OC）中轻推选项的选择产生积极影响。此外，与仅使用 CDN 相比，混合微调（ODN 和 CDN 的组合）对消费者在 OC 中选择微调选项的影响更显着。

研究限制/影响

本研究仅关注定制情境下消费者的选择行为，并没有分析他们的态度变化。本研究使用供应商推荐作为ODN的代理变量，默认选项作为CDN的代理变量。未来的研究可以探索 ODN 和 CDN 的其他实例。

实际影响

这项研究探索了在OCS的背景下数字打结技术的影响。该研究为定制供应商提供了关于是否使用数字轻推工具及其组合以及应首选哪些工具的明确指导。

社会影响

供应商可以采用数字轻推技术说服消费者选择轻推选项。这种推动效应可以使消费者的选择可预测且不确定性降低，从而为供应商增加利润。

原创性/价值

首先，该研究侧重于数字轻推对消费者选择的影响，丰富了对定制系统设计对消费者选择影响的理解。其次，本文提出了一种新的数字轻推分类方法，并分别提出了消费者定制选择的影响机制。第三，本研究探讨了在 OC 上下文中组合多种轻推工具对消费者选择的影响，加深了对不同类型轻推工具交互效果的理解。