Experimental Design Details
Upon visiting the website, subejcts are randomized into one of 13 groups. In the treatment groups, a banner appears at the top of the website that offers a rebate on all products. The experiment varies the size of the rebate, the size of the a minimum order value (MOV), and the salience of the MOV. In addition, it varies whether the rebate needs to be actively claimed or is automatically redeemed.
Figure 1 in the attachment provides an overview. The are 13 experimental groups: A, B, C, D, E.1, E.2, F.1, F.2, G.1, G.2, H.1, H.2, and I. In group A, subjects receive a 10% discount and do not need to meet a minimum order value to be applicable for the discount. The rebate code is automatically entered into a respective field during checkout and the rebate thereby requires no effort of rebate redemption. Subjects may, however, delete the rebate code if they do not wish to obtain the price discount. There may also be technical issues related to the browser or device of the subject that prevent the rebate to be automatically redeemed. Group B is identical to group A but the rebate value is 15% instead of 10%. Groups C and D are analogous to group A and B, but the rebate needs to be actively claimed in group C and D by copying a rebate code and pasting it into a respective field during the checkout. The rebate code can be found on an additional rebate page that subjects can visit by clicking on the banner. Thus, the rebate in group C and D requires additional hassle in order to be redeemed. In group E, the 10% discount is only applied to the purchase value if the purchase value exceeds a minimum order value of 99 EUR. Subjects also need to actively claim the rebate. In the subgroup E.1 the minimum order value is already stated on the banner and thereby made very salient. In subgroup E.2, the minimum order value can only be seen if the subject clicks on the banner to visit the rebate page that involves additional information. Group F is structured in the same way as group E, but the minimum order value is 199 EUR instead of 99 EUR. The subgroups, again, vary the salience of the MOV. Group G and H are identical to group E and F, respectively, but the rebate value is 15% instead of 10%. Group I is the control group in which no rebate is offered.