{"title":"Beyond Convenience: Exploring the Hidden Impact of Algorithmic Pricing on Consumer Trust and Loyalty in Chinese Online Travel Agencies","authors":"Kuo-Yan Wang, Jing Yu, Wei Chen, Jinchao Chen","doi":"10.1002/jtr.2785","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>The emergence of online travel agencies (OTAs) provides travelers with “one-stop” convenience, but also faces issues of price discrimination. This mixed-methods study began with semi-structured interviews of 30 participants to explore initial perceptions, followed by a survey of 307 Chinese consumers. The study examined attitudes toward OTA overreliance on algorithmic pricing and unclear information, and their impact on trust and loyalty. Findings reveal that during peak seasons, regular customers without value-added membership services paid higher room rates than new customers. The results indicate that once trust is established through clear information quality and reliable service, consumers are less wary of pricing quotes. The conclusion summarizes the findings and suggests further research to promote transparent and fair pricing practices, enhancing consumer trust and loyalty.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":4,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Energy Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"ACS Applied Energy Materials","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jtr.2785","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The emergence of online travel agencies (OTAs) provides travelers with “one-stop” convenience, but also faces issues of price discrimination. This mixed-methods study began with semi-structured interviews of 30 participants to explore initial perceptions, followed by a survey of 307 Chinese consumers. The study examined attitudes toward OTA overreliance on algorithmic pricing and unclear information, and their impact on trust and loyalty. Findings reveal that during peak seasons, regular customers without value-added membership services paid higher room rates than new customers. The results indicate that once trust is established through clear information quality and reliable service, consumers are less wary of pricing quotes. The conclusion summarizes the findings and suggests further research to promote transparent and fair pricing practices, enhancing consumer trust and loyalty.
期刊介绍:
ACS Applied Energy Materials is an interdisciplinary journal publishing original research covering all aspects of materials, engineering, chemistry, physics and biology relevant to energy conversion and storage. The journal is devoted to reports of new and original experimental and theoretical research of an applied nature that integrate knowledge in the areas of materials, engineering, physics, bioscience, and chemistry into important energy applications.