Give Me Something I Don't Have! Image Transfer and Spillover Effects in Online Marketplaces

Abstract

Customer journeys are changing, and both online marketplace operators and affiliated sellers can benefit from digital disintermediation. For a long time, the operators put a strong emphasis on strengthening their own brand and putting it into the focus of consumers, whereas the seller brands did not receive any special brand exposure. More recently, operators have realized the potential of using specific sellers’ brand attributes to improve both marketplace sales and consumers’ perception of the marketplace. The present research therefore aims to provide insights into image transfer and spillover effects within online marketplaces. Two experimental studies were conducted to test whether an online marketplace can benefit from an image transfer emanating from an affiliated seller, and vice versa. The results demonstrate that spillover effects can occur in an online marketplace environment and that both, operators, and sellers should be aware of the resulting advantages and disadvantages.