Unpacking the complexities of information overload in early-stage online booking: The moderating effects of information presentation and regulatory focus

Online Travel Agents (OTAs) have become pivotal marketing channels in the tourism and hospitality industry, providing tourists with a variety of rich and timely information. However, excessive information can lead to information overload, which can negatively affect the decision-making process and potentially lead to delayed or abandoned bookings. This study aims to investigate the role of information overload in tourists’ early decision-making in the context of online hotel booking. 2 (information load: high vs. low) × 2 (information presentation format: alternative-vs. attribute-based display) × 2 (regulatory focus: promotion-vs. prevention-focus) between-subjects scenario-based experiment was conducted with 305 Chinese adult participants. The results showed that information overload occurs in the early stages of online booking decision and is influenced by the interaction of information presentation format and regulatory focus. Regulatory focus can influence tourists’ information presentation format preferences under high information load conditions. When the appropriate information presentation format is applied to an individual's regulatory focus, information processing becomes more fluid, thereby reducing information overload. The findings emphasize the importance of matching information presentation to an individual's regulatory focus to minimize information overload and provide practical implications for OTAs.