As First Author, Associate Professor DENG Honglin from SEM’s Advanced Institute of Business had his article entitled Addressing Online Users’ Suspicion of Sponsored Search Results: Effects of Informational Cues accepted and published in Information Systems Research (ISR), one of the top journals in the field of Information Management and Information Systems (one of the UTD 24 top-tier academic journals).

Journal：Information Systems Research

Author：DENG Honglin , WANG Weiquan, Kai H. Lim

Keywords：online user suspicion, sponsored search, user avoidance, informational cues, laboratory experiment

Core Content of the Paper:

The search advertisements usually deviate from the consumer’s search terms, thus triggering suspicion. Even if the advertised products have high actual evaluations and good quality, consumer skepticism remains difficult to address. To tackle this issue, this study focuses on exploring whether and how online information cues (such as product reviews and user ratings) can reduce consumer skepticism towards search advertisements. Drawing from psychological theories of skepticism, the study contextualizes skepticism in the context of search advertisements across multiple dimensions, including decision uncertainty, perceptions of search platform intent, and cognitive processing of advertisements. The research proposes theory-based practice strategies to reduce consumer skepticism by integrating information cues about search advertisements into the e-commerce product search process. Through theoretical derivation and three laboratory experiments, the study demonstrates that the internalization mechanism of information cues can decrease consumers’ decision uncertainty and their perception of platform intent, thereby enhancing their cognitive processing of search advertisements. The study further explores factors triggering consumer internalization. This study reveals the internalization mechanism of information cues in resolving consumer skepticism in the context of online product searches and provides practical solutions for e-commerce platforms to improve consumer decision-making processes.

Research Experience Sharing:

My research primarily focuses on topics related to information systems, particularly e-commerce and electronic healthcare management. This study specifically addresses the challenges and dilemmas faced by local C2C platforms in using search advertising for promotion. Based on this, the paper proposes targeted improvement strategies and mechanisms, validated through experiments conducted in the context of Taobao shopping as an e-commerce scenario. Prior to experiments, I conducted offline mirroring of Taobao and removed irrelevant redundant information to meet the high control requirements of the experimental method. The paper is theoretically driven and experimentally validated, necessitating multiple rounds of interviews, theoretical iteration, and optimization to understand consumers’ real attitudes and psychological responses to search advertisements. It involved data collection and analysis through methods such as comment text analysis and pre-experiments. Furthermore, I engaged in multiple exchanges with platform managers, keyword buyers, online individual consumers, and consumer behavior scholars, obtaining valuable insights. The resulting research not only elucidates the process mechanisms of online consumer responses to search advertisements but also proposes practical responses for e-commerce platforms. These research findings can offer effective strategic suggestions for platform managers and policymakers.

Author Profile

DENG Honglin

Associate Professor at the Tongji SEM’s Advanced Institute of Business, holding a PhD in Information Systems from the School of Business at City University of Hong Kong. Engaged in research on information systems and e-commerce for a long time. Dr. DENG was selected for Guangdong Province’s “Overseas Youth Talent Introduction” program. As project leader, he has led multiple research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s general and youth programs. He has published multiple academic papers in important core academic journals both domestically and internationally, such as MIS Quarterly Information Systems Research, Management World, etc.

Research areas: Information systems, e-commerce, and electronic healthcare