The Reciprocity Rule in Electronic Commerce
The Reciprocity Rule in Electronic Commerce

Summary/Abstract: The main purpose of this article is to present the principle of reciprocity as one of the main techniques of persuasion commonly used in e-commerce. In the first part of the article, the principle of reciprocity is defined and studies indicating its impact on human behaviour is discussed. The principle has been mostly popularised by the publication of R. Cialdini; nevertheless, it is emphasised that the first studies in that topic were conducted in the 1960s by Alvin Gouldner. In the following section, the basic techniques for the principle application is discussed. Then, based on different examples, application of the principle in e-commerce is widely discussed. At the end of the paper, the common application of the principle in e-commerce is clearly stressed. A clear cognitive gap is identified, referring to the lack of empirical data on the actual impact of the principle of reciprocity on e-commerce effectiveness.

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