The Reputation Economy

Playing the Trust Game Successfully in the Reputation Economy

Hunting for “stars”, the icons of the reputation economy, is a prerequisite for survival in e-commerce in general and on sharing platforms …

Reaching for the Stars: The Role and Value of Digital Reputation

In the old economy, reputation was considered an important but somewhat underestimated intangible asset. In the digital economy, the …

Navigating by the Stars: Current Challenges for Ensuring Trust in the Sharing Economy

Today, virtually all e-commerce and sharing-economy platforms rely on star ratings or similar systems to build trust between anonymous …

Detecting and Mitigating Discrimination in Online Platforms: Lessons from Airbnb, Uber, and Others

Research has documented racial or ethnic discrimination in online marketplaces, from labor markets to credit applications to housing.

Tit for Tat? The Difficulty of Designing Two-Sided Reputation Systems

In a two-sided reputation system, it is in the interest of both buyers and sellers to be a good transaction partner. What sounds wonderful …

Tales from the Land of Consumer Reviews: Taking a Closer Look at Lurkers and Writers

While most consumers routinely read online reviews to inform their purchase decisions, the number of consumers who actively post reviews …

It’s the Story, Stupid: The Consumer Reviews Most Likely to Influence Purchasing Decisions

Helpful reviews are like good movies or a good novel: if you’re hooked right away, you stay and remember. No matter how short, a review …

Hosting Bags Instead of People

For many travelers, the problem is familiar: You check out from Airbnb and your flight is not till later. So you have time to still enjoy …

Thrilled or Upset: What Drives People to Share and Review Product Experiences?

What drives people’s decisions to share product and service experiences? Several studies show that a sender’s emotional arousal is a …