When Do Consumers Prefer Crowdfunded Products?

Research suggests that companies financed through crowdfunding are often seem by consumers as higher quality and less elitist than products financed through VCs or other more traditional forms of start-up finance. This may explain why Amazon markets a line of Kickstarter financed products. The effect is not universal, however: where safety is an issue, the judgment of ordinary consumers is less valued than the expertise of professional investors.