Too much trust? When more signals do not help in digital marketplaces

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether adding new trust signals on digital platforms influences user behavior, particularly in environments where multiple established cues already exist. Design/methodology/approach The author combines a large quasi-experimental data set from Fiverr.com with a 2 × 2 online experiment (n = 794). The platform introduced a new trust signal highlighting previous high-profile clients, which allowed us to track seller pricing and user perceptions before and after the rollout. Findings Despite the signal’s theoretical credibility, this study finds no significant effects on seller pricing or perceived trustworthiness. Results indicate that signal effectiveness might diminish when platforms already feature numerous strong cues (e.g. star ratings, badges). This suggests a potential saturation point in digital trust signaling. Research limitations/implications The author cannot fully observe how users processed or ignored the new signal on the platform. Future work should incorporate user interaction data and platform-specific attention metrics. Practical implications Rather than introducing additional signals, platform operators should consider the cognitive load and placement of existing cues. These insights are relevant for regulators shaping fair and effective digital trust environments. Originality/value This study advances signaling theory by identifying a boundary condition in information-rich environments and offers practical insights for platform governance and policy design. It underscores the importance of user attention, interface design and salience when introducing new trust mechanisms.