The Effects of Information Nudges on Consumer Usage of Digital Services under Three-Part Tariffs

46 Pages Posted: 15 Nov 2021 Last revised: 9 Mar 2022

See all articles by Ping Xiao

Ping Xiao

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Business School

Yuanyuan Chen

University of Alabama

Anandhi Bharadwaj

Emory University - Goizueta Business School

Weining Bao

University of Connecticut

Date Written: March 9, 2022

Abstract

We develop a dynamic model to examine how information nudges influence digital services' consumer usage behavior and welfare under a three-part tariff structure. We study two types of information nudging: nudging through full and nudging through partial information provision. In the former, information nudges are provided to inform consumers of their usage status at every decision point in a billing cycle. In contrast, in the latter, consumers are nudged at one or more decision points within a billing cycle but not throughout the billing cycle. Our model considers two dimensions of consumer heterogeneity: inattentiveness and preference. Furthermore, our model investigates an important but under-investigated design element of information nudges, namely, the timing of the information nudges. We find that (1) nudging through information provision influences inattentive consumers’ usage decisions and improves consumption efficiency, (2) consumers’ welfare gains from full information nudging depict an inverted-U shape contingent on consumers’ preference heterogeneity, and (3) the timing of nudging matters. Our findings provide managerial implications for the design of information nudging strategies and procedures. Finally, we empirically illustrate the analytical results in the context of consumers’ mobile data usage behavior.

Keywords: nudge, behavioral economics, limited attention, preference heterogeneity, three-part tariff, mobile data, digital services

Suggested Citation

Xiao, Ping and Chen, Yuanyuan and Bharadwaj, Anandhi and Bao, Weining, The Effects of Information Nudges on Consumer Usage of Digital Services under Three-Part Tariffs (March 9, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3942913 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3942913

Ping Xiao (Contact Author)

University of Melbourne - Melbourne Business School ( email )

200 Leicester Street
Carlton, Victoria 3053 3186
Australia

Yuanyuan Chen

University of Alabama ( email )

101 Paul W. Bryant Dr.
Box 870382
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
United States

Anandhi Bharadwaj

Emory University - Goizueta Business School ( email )

1300 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30322-2722
United States

Weining Bao

University of Connecticut ( email )

Storrs, CT 06269-1063
United States

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