Nudging Users Into Online Verification: The Case of Carsharing Platforms

With the emergence of new technologies, user transactions have become increasingly digital and thus anonymous. As a result, online platforms started offering new user identity verification mechanisms including online verification. However, convincing users to verify online represents a challenge as benefits must be carefully balanced with resulting risks. We combine Toulmin’s model of argumentation with Regulatory Focus Theory to develop communication arguments to nudge users into online verification. Two argument types consisting of both claim and claim-supporting data are employed: a promotion-focus argument conveying convenience and a prevention-focus argument aiming to reduce privacy concerns. In a controlled experiment, we find that both claims significantly increase online verification conversion rate if supported by data. The effect of a prevention-focus claim is stronger than that of a promotion-focus claim. However, if a prevention-focus claim is not supported by data, it actually decreases online verification rate compared to if no claim is shown.