Being in the Right Place: A Natural Field Experiment on List Position and Consumer Choice

Novarese, Marco and Wilson, Chris M. (2013): Being in the Right Place: A Natural Field Experiment on List Position and Consumer Choice.

Abstract

By randomising the order in which new economics research papers are presented in email alerts and tracking economists’ subsequent download activity, this paper uses a natural field experiment to better understand the reasons why individuals show a disproportionate tendency to select items listed in top position. Using a novel method, the paper tests and rejects three common explanations regarding item order, choice fatigue and position as a quality signal. The paper then further demonstrates how the causes of top position effects vary significantly with list length, and points to some alternative explanations.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Position Effects, Order Effects, Primacy Effects, Recency Effects, Choice Fatigue, Prominence
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C93 - Field Experiments; D - Microeconomics > D0 - General > D01 - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles; D - Microeconomics > D0 - General > D03 - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles; L - Industrial Organization > L0 - General; L - Industrial Organization > L0 - General > L00 - General

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