Selected Publications
Ask for Reviews at The Right Time: Evidence from Two Field Experiments
( Jung, Miyeon | Ryu, Sunghan | Han, Sang Pil | Cho, Daegon )JOURNAL OF MARKETING2023-07
Abstract
This study examines how the timing of review reminders affects the likelihood and quality of product review postings. The authors postulate that review reminders have two distinct effects, depending on the delivery timing. On the one hand, reminders of review posting given immediately or shortly after a product experience may threaten a consumer's freedom and prompt an adverse reaction. On the other hand, as time after the product experience passes, it may be advantageous to revive memories of review posting using delayed review reminders. To evaluate the effect of review reminders, they conducted two randomized field experiments. The findings show that immediate reminders reduce the chance of review postings relative to a randomized immediate control group who did not receive a reminder, consistent with the notion that the reactance induced by the violation of freedom due to instant review reminders outweighs the benefit of memory recall. Conversely, delayed reminders significantly increase the likelihood of review posting compared to a randomized delayed control, suggesting that the memory recall benefit surpasses reactance. However, the timing of review reminders has little effect on review content. The study contributes to the literature on the temporal effects of marketing activities and provides practical advice for online marketplaces to collect more product reviews.
Learning Outside the Classroom During a Pandemic: Evidence from an Artificial Intelligence-Based Education App
( Ko, Ga Young | Shin, Donghyuk | Auh, Seigyoung | Lee, Yeonjung | Han, Sang Pil )Management Science2023-06
Abstract
<jats:p> Drawing on the notion of compensatory behavior, this paper studies how students compensate for learning loss during a pandemic and what role artificial intelligence (AI) plays in this regard. We further probe into a difference in compensatory behavior for learning loss in terms of quantity, pattern, and pace (i.e., tripartite aspect of learning behavior) of AI-powered learning app usage depending on the level of pandemic threat and the proximity of a goal to students. Results show that the pandemic threat affects student learning behavior differently. Immediately following the COVID-19 outbreak, students who live in the epicenter of the outbreak (versus those who do not) use the app less at first, but with time, they use it more (quantity), on a more regular basis (pattern), and rebound to a curriculum path (pace) comparable to students who do not live in the outbreak’s epicenter. These findings collectively explain behavior that is consistent with compensation for learning loss. The results also partially corroborate the goal-proximity effect, revealing that proximity to a goal (e.g., the degree to which the national university admission exam is approaching) has a moderating role in explaining the tripartite perspective of student learning behavior. Overall, these findings have important theoretical and practical implications for understanding how innovative education technologies can not only facilitate student learning during adversity, but also support learning recovery after adversity. </jats:p><jats:p> This paper was accepted by D. J. Wu, information systems. </jats:p><jats:p> Supplemental Material: Data files available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4531 . </jats:p>
The Voice of Commerce: How Smart Speakers Reshape Digital Content Consumption and Preference
( Son, Yoonseock | Oh, Wonseok | Im, Il )MIS QUARTERLY2023-06
Abstract
The present study investigates the effects of smart speaker usage on consumers’ digital content search, purchase, and consumption behaviors. Using a unique panel data set comprising information on household patterns of digital content (e.g., video on demand [VOD]) transactions and consumption and smart speaker usage, we found that the adoption of smart speakers is positively associated with the increased purchase of digital content but negatively related to the average rate of content completion. More specifically, we found that VOD content-related expenditures increased by 21.5% following smart speaker adoption but the average consumption of VOD content purchased decreased by 3.0%. We also examined millions of data points on TV remote-control use and conducted a survey via MTurk to support the validity of the findings. Smart speaker usage can reduce search costs, which subsequently increases search incidence and conversion rates, behavioral changes that can lead to a rise in purchases. We further show that the use of smart speakers for purposes other than information seeking is positively associated with purchases. We develop insights on how to elicit economic value from voice recognition technologies and provide implications for the design and implementation of effective voice commerce strategies.
Interdependence between online peer-to-peer lending and cryptocurrency markets and its effects on financial inclusion
( Chung, Sunghun | Kim, Keongtae | Lee, Chul Ho | Oh, Wonseok )PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT2023-06
Abstract
Online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has emerged as an innovative financial technology (FinTech) platform that renders financial services that are potentially more inclusive and affordable than those offered by traditional financial institutions. A similar purpose is served by cryptocurrency markets, where transaction costs are reduced and financial accessibility is improved based on disruptive technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledgers. Despite these developments, however, in the operations management literature limited attention has been devoted to the contribution of online P2P lending to the promotion of financial inclusion (i.e., the availability and usage of financial services for all groups of people) and its dynamic interplay with cryptocurrency markets. The rise of cryptocurrency markets affects the composition and activity of borrowers and investors in P2P lending markets and hence the capacity of the latter to support financial inclusion, leading to an operations management challenge in online P2P lending. We examine how cryptocurrency markets influence P2P lending markets' democratization of access to financial services, particularly P2P borrowing. To investigate these effects in depth, we develop a simple theoretical model to derive testable propositions, which are then empirically validated on the basis of unique data sets. We find that the growth in cryptocurrency markets is associated with increased loan requests and larger loan amounts in P2P markets, especially from borrowers who maintain good credit ratings, possess technical knowledge about cryptocurrencies, and intend to borrow for investment purposes. Our results suggest that cryptocurrency markets bring economic gains to the P2P lending market, at least in the short term. Nonetheless, the transfer of funds from P2P lending to cryptocurrency markets, particularly by highly creditworthy and tech-savvy investors, may provoke increased inequality in access to P2P lending markets. By scrutinizing the interdependence between two representative FinTech markets we uncover important operations management implications for theory and practice regarding the healthy growth and effective governance of crowdfunding platforms and the corresponding sustainability of their role in upholding financial inclusion.
Self-Regulation and External Influence: The Relative Efficacy of Mobile Apps and Offline Channels for Personal Weight Management
( Kwon, Hyeokkoo Eric | Dewan, Sanjeev | Oh, Wonseok | Kim, Taekyung )INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH2023-03
Abstract
This study contributes to the information systems literature on mobile health interventions and omnichannel management by examining the relative effectiveness of mobile and offline channels in facilitating personal weight management. Drawing on the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, our empirical analysis utilizes a system generalized method of moments approach applied to panel data on customers enrolled in a weight loss program that delivers services through multiple channels, including a mobile app and offline office visits. Our results show that the use of the mobile app is positively associated with weight management by both free and paid users. For paid users, who have access to the mobile app and office visits, usage of both channels is associated with increased shortterm weight loss. Furthermore, the two channels function as substitutes for one another, with users able to compensate for infrequent offline store visits through more intense mobile app usage. In the long term, however, only mobile app usage (and not offline store visits) contributes to the sustainability of weight loss, as reflected in reduced weight variability and lower overall failure rate. Qualitative evidence gleaned from interviews with actual customers substantiated the self-regulation mechanism enabled by mobile app usage. Additional empirical analyses further revealed that frequency and granularity of mobile app usage are positively associated with weight loss. We also found that individuals exposed to low performance pressure benefit more fully from mobile app usage. The results are robust to endogeneity concerns and alternative measures of the key variables. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the important role of a self-regulatory mobile app in a multichannel setting of personal weight management, as compared with the external influence stemming from human experts in offline channels, with useful implications for research and practice.
