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This research examines the influence of recommendations on consumer decision making during online shopping experiences. Evidence from two empirical studies suggests that many online consumers seek and accept recommendations in order to effectively manage the amount of information available during online search processes. These findings suggest that consumers use the mere availability of peer recommendations as a decision-making heuristic, irrespective of the peer recommender's personal characteristics. Findings also suggest that consumer preference for peer versus editorial recommendations depends on the specific nature of the consumer's shopping goal: utilitarian or hedonic. Finally, results from this study indicate that consumers prefer peer and editorial recommendations over other types of effort-reducing cues that might be available during online search. As such, retailers must consider a number of factors including recommender characteristics, shopping goals, and product characteristics in their bid to provide consumers with the appropriate type of recommendation for their respective decision-making task.

We examined the benefits to a corporate sponsor of two types of philanthropic activitiescause promotions and advocacy advertising. Results from 4 laboratory studies indicate that perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are affected by consumers' elaboration levels. Consumer perceptions of CSR are more favorable for cause promotions, which do not receive much elaboration, than they are for advocacy advertising, which prompts more elaboration. In addition, perceived congruence between the sponsor and the social issue is shown to moderate these effects: Higher congruence between the sponsor and social issue increases favorable ratings of CSR for cause promotions but only if elaboration on the sponsorship activity is facilitated. On the other hand, lower congruence increases favorable ratings of CSR for advocacy advertising as long as elaboration on the sponsorship is not constrained. We also found that higher congruence enhances CSR ratings if participants are primed to focus their attention on the sponsor brand, whereas lower congruence enhances CSR if participants are primed to focus their attention on the social issue.

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