Be Social! The Impact of Online Referral Program on Referrer Purchase Behavior
利用唯品会数据，研究发现参与在线推荐计划会促使推荐者增加后续购买，且佣金价值和社交推荐便利性会强化这一效应。
Despite the widespread presence of online referral programs, there is a notable gap in empirical research examining their influence on referrers. This study explores the impact of participation in online referral programs on the subsequent purchasing behavior of referrers, utilizing data from Vipshop, a prominent e-commerce platform. Vipshop has successfully expanded its social commerce operations by incentivizing existing customers to endorse products on various social media platforms. Employing a difference-in-differences methodology, our findings reveal that involvement in an online referral program positively influences referrers to increase their purchases. Furthermore, this effect is significantly enhanced by the value of commissions and the ease of social referral. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for both theoretical understanding and practical application.