The Effects of Sponsored Links on Consumers’ Information Processing Behavior in Comparison Shopping Engines

Comparison shopping sites facilitate consumers’ pre-purchase evaluation of alternatives, and draw increasing traffic to merchants’ Web sites. As the main source of revenue, sponsored link advertising has become one of the most important aspects for comparison shopping services. However, little is known about the effectiveness of sponsored links and their effects on consumers’ information processing behavior. In this study, we develop a research model that tries to explain the influence of information presentation on the main stages of consumers’ information processing. The consumer decision process theory from the marketing literature and the information processing theory from social cognition research are employed to develop our model. We also propose that the attitude towards Web advertising will have direct and interaction effects on consumers’ information processing behavior. Nine research hypotheses are postulated and will be tested in controlled experiments.