Understanding the importance of interaction between creators and backers in crowdfunding success

Crowdfunding has received a lot of attention from IS academics, and it is important to understand what led to crowdfunding success. Many studies examined determinants of crowdfunding success, but little attention has been paid to the interaction between creators and backers. We examine effects of comment (including quantity, sentiment, and length) and reply (including ratio, length, and speed) to understand the importance of creator-backer interaction in crowdfunding success. A total of 959 projects from a major crowdfunding platform in China were collected and analyzed. The results indicate that comment quantity, comment score, reply length, and reply speed are positively associated with the fundraising success. In addition, comment sentiment positively moderates the effect of comment quantity on crowdfunding success. The findings demonstrate the importance of interaction between creators and backers in crowdfunding success, providing both theoretical and practical implications.