Preference Construction and Persistence in Digital Marketplaces: The Role of Electronic Recommendation Agents

Abstract

This paper examines the role of electronic recommendation agents in connection with consumers' construction of preference for multi-attribute products. Based on the notion that preferences tend to be constructive, in the sense that they may be affected by characteristics of the task and information environment in which a purchase decision is made, we propose that such digital agents have the potential to influence consumers' preferences in a systematic fashion. The results of an experiment involving an agent-assisted shopping task provide support for this proposition. We also find that this type of preference-construction effect persists beyond the initial shopping experience. Finally, we propose three possible explanations of the inclusion effect and discuss each of these in light of our results.

Keywords: preference construction, recommendation agents, recommender systems, consumer choice, judgment and decision making