Abstract Reward-based crowdfunding broadens the scope of e-commerce transactions, as prototypical products are pre-sold under conditions of considerable uncertainty. To date, we know little about the mechanisms that underlie decisions to back reward-based crowdfunding campaigns. However, it is likely that startup founders’ possibility of showcasing their personalities in video pitches signals their trustworthiness, particularly, as other features, such as quality seals and customer testimonials, are often unavailable. We use signaling theory to reinforce the move from a feature-oriented perspective to a signaling perspective, as signals can transmit information about startup founders’ otherwise imperceptible qualities and abilities. Based on a survey (N = 108), we investigate how perceived hubris – proven to be particularly salient in startup contexts – influences the funding decision of potential backers. We find that abilities and legitimacy of a startup founder are rated positively when s/he is perceived as hubristic. These results have implications for crowdfunding campaigns and highlight the relevance of personality traits in electronic markets.


    Access

    Access via TIB


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Does personality still matter in e-commerce? How perceived hubris influences the assessment of founders’ trustworthiness using the example of reward-based crowdfunding


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2022




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    BKL:    83.72 Verkehrswirtschaft / 85.40 Marketing



    Pricing strategies in reward-based crowdfunding: Whether to introduce price guarantee?

    Sun, Yanhong / Sheng, Yiyun / Yan, Shuai et al. | Elsevier | 2023


    Implications of warm-glow effect and risk aversion in reward-based crowdfunding

    Xu, Lei / Li, Dahui / Chiu, Chun-Hung et al. | Elsevier | 2022


    Classification of Robot Form: Factors Predicting Perceived Trustworthiness

    Schaefer, K.E. / Sanders, T.L. / Yordon, R.E. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2012


    Microexpressions in digital humans: perceived affect, sincerity, and trustworthiness

    Tastemirova, Aliya / Schneider, Johannes / Kruse, Leona Chandra et al. | Online Contents | 2022

    Free access