The dual roles of web personalization on consumer decision quality in online shopping The perspective of information load

Purpose Many online merchants today have adopted web personalization in the form of personalized product recommendations (PPRs) to improve consumer's decision quality. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the roles of PPRs on consumer decision quality in online shopping from the theoretical perspective of information load. Design/methodology/approach To explore the dual roles of PPRs on consumer decision quality, this paper develops a research model for it. A 2 (information load: high vs low) x 2 (web personalization: PPRs vs non-PPRs) between-subjects design is conducted to empirically test the model. Findings The results indicate that: first, information load can increase perceived information overload and decrease perceived information underload; second, PPRs can weaken (enhance) the positive (negative) effect of information load on perceived information overload (perceived information underload); third, both perceived information overload and perceived information underload are negatively associated with consumer's decision quality. Originality/value This paper originally develops a research model that explains the roles of PPRs on consumer decision quality from the theoretical perspective of information load in the online shopping context, which could add new insights to the field of web personalization, especially the impact of web personalization on consumer decision making.