From intervention to prevention! Effects of peer progress information on user engagement

Purpose – Peer information can serve as an effective intervention to enhance individual fitness behaviors, offering potential benefits for health promotion and disease prevention. Extending prior literature on the influence of peer information on individual behaviors from the viewpoint of peer outcome information, this study aims to investigate the effect of peer progress information on targeted fitness and non-targeted sharing behaviors of users, as well as the moderating roles of users’ past performance and perceived peer pressure. Design/methodology/approach – The authors develop hypotheses based on the theories of social comparison and social identity. Leveraging a quasi-natural experiment on a popular online fitness platform, this study conducts several difference-in-differences models to test the causal effect of peer progress information. Findings – The results reveal several robust and interesting findings. First, peer progress information significantly increases both exercise engagement and information sharing. Second, users with poor past performance or strong peer pressure exhibit greater responsiveness to peer progress information. Furthermore, the positive effects on fitness behavior are driven by upward social comparison rather than downward comparison, suggesting upward comparison may serve as an underlying mechanism. Practical implications – This study provides actionable guidance for platform designers aiming to foster sustainable engagement through progress-based mechanisms. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the literature on peer information by analyzing the effect of peer progress on user engagement and the corresponding heterogeneity. In particular, the findings offer an effective means to promote user retention for digital platforms.