Abstract

Using three experiments, the present research demonstrates that, in presence of a description of the tactile characteristics of the product, consumers' attitude is significantly higher when the information is given by a web-community then the company web-site. Moreover, consumers' attitude towards low-touch products for which the touch is not diagnostic is significantly higher when the tactile information is provided by a web-community compared to the company web-site, because of the higher reliability perceived by customers for web-communities. From a managerial perspective, the results of this research imply that, to promote the purchase of low-touch products within the digital environment, companies need to consider virtual communities in order to favor the exchange among users of tactile information about those products.