Priming in Search: A Large-Scale Field Experiment on the Impact of Popular Search Genres in Mobile Shopping

Mobile commerce platforms face persistent search frictions because of limited screen space and input constraints, making it difficult for consumers to initiate effective searches. This study evaluates a scalable, low-cost design intervention—the popular ranking search aid (PRSA)—that presents aggregated popular search categories at the entry point of the search interface. Using a large-scale randomized field experiment on a major mobile platform, we show that PRSA significantly reshapes consumer behavior and platform outcomes. From a practice perspective, PRSA reduces cognitive barriers in query formation by guiding users toward broader, category-level searches, leading to increased product views and higher purchase rates. However, this benefit comes with a trade-off; broader queries expand the choice set, increasing downstream decision complexity. For platform managers, this highlights the importance of balancing upstream guidance with downstream decision support. From a policy perspective, PRSA offers a privacy-compliant alternative to personalized recommendation systems as it relies on aggregated, nonpersonalized data. This makes it particularly relevant in regulatory environments with growing data protection constraints (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation-like regimes). Overall, the findings demonstrate that simple, nonpersonalized interface designs can meaningfully improve consumer engagement and market efficiency while aligning with emerging privacy standards.