Powerful Little Numbers: How Bandwagon Cues Influence Consumer Purchase Intention for Online Content

In the last few years more and more Chinese Internet users are turning to paid digital content for educational and professional guidance. Drawing on the MAIN model and the social impact theory, this study examines how bandwagon cues of the content product and professional backgrounds of the content provider impact consumer trust and purchase intention. In a 2 ´ 2 between-subject factorial design, participants viewed a introduction interface of a online content product depicting high and low levels of bandwagon cue and source expertise. Our study suggests that bandwagon cues indirectly affect consumer purchase intention, mediated by consumer trust, and that the effect is contingent upon the content provider having a high level of expertise. Managerial implications are also provided based on the empirical results.