scholarly journals Influence of Price Level and Perceived Price Dispersion on Consumer Information Search Behaviour: Moderating Effect of Durables and Consumables

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2105
Author(s):  
Weiqing Li ◽  
Qianyi Dan ◽  
Maomao Chi ◽  
Weijun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Price Level ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Perceived Price ◽  
Consumer Information Search ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The methods consumers use to reduce their perceived risk and make reasonable purchase decisions can be synthesized under the umbrella term “consumer information search behavior” (CISB). As one key factor that conveys a product’s value and quality, price has a significant impact on CISB. There are few studies that comprehensively consider the impact of price level (PL) and perceived price dispersion (PPD) on CISB, and there is a certain disagreement about the impact of PPD specific to the online shopping environment. To address this research gap, we construct a model using the data from 5515 consumers’ purchasing and browsing behavior on a B2C e-commerce website, selecting six products as our research objects. We use a hierarchical regression analysis method to study the influence of product PL and PPD on CISB, and to explore the moderating effect of product categories (durables and consumables) on the relationship between PL, PPD and CISB. The results show that PL significantly affects CISB, and that product categories have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between PL and CISB. For durable goods, when the PL is high, consumers tend to increase their search behavior, both in depth and in breadth, and for consumables with low PL but higher purchase frequency, consumers likewise tend to increase their search behavior. In the B2C online shopping environment, PPD has a significant positive effect on CISB, and product category has a moderating effect on the relationship between PPD and CISB. When consumers purchase consumables, the higher the PPD, the higher the depth of CISB. The findings have several implications for marketing practitioners and enterprises advertising, also can help customers save time and energy in their search behaviors.

scholarly journals The impact of product assortment size and attribute quantity on information searches

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krisztina Rita Dörnyei ◽  
Athanasios Krystallis ◽  
Polymeros Chrysochou
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Product Attributes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Display ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Product Assortment ◽  
Information Searches ◽  
Consumer Information Search ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of assortment size and attribute quantity on the depth and content of consumer information searches. Design/methodology/approach For a computer-aided experiment using an information display board, participants (n = 393) were placed in a simulated shopping situation that involved choosing a product among three sets of frequently purchased, low-involvement, FMCG alternatives. Findings The findings show that when the assortment size increases, consumers acquire information from more products and cues but sacrifice product attributes. In particular, this sacrifice comes at the expense of secondary product attributes (e.g. nutrition information, country of origin), whereas primary product attributes (e.g. brand name, price) remain constant. Attribute quantity does not have a significant effect on information search. Practical implications Provided that several strategies rely on providing more information to consumers with the aim of making more deliberate and better choices, the findings suggest that they may have a limited effect in product categories in which the assortment size is wide. The authors discuss the implications for category management and public policy. Originality/value Information searches are measured by means of three different variables (searched cues, searched products and searched attributes), which enable a more complex exploration of the consumer information search process.

scholarly journals Consumer Information Search Behavior for Experiential and Material Purchases

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asli Elif Aydin
Keyword(s):  
Direct Observation ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Material Purchases ◽  
Information Search Behavior ◽  
Consumer Information Search

The objective of this study is to determine whether sources of information consulted and the extent of information search differ between experiential and material purchases. For this purpose two experimental studies were conducted. It is demonstrated that moving along the experiential-material purchase continuum; consumers’ reliance on personal sources, especially personal independent sources intensifies towards experiential purchase pole and decreases towards material purchase pole. In addition, for material purchases; direct observation is preferred more compared to personal sources of information. Finally, it is revealed that the total amount of search is greater for experiential purchases than material purchases. The results suggest that experiential and material purchases require different types of search conduct due to their distinct natures.

Consumer Pre-purchase Search in Online Shopping: Role of Offline and Online Information Sources

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Akalamkam ◽  
Joy Kumar Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Online Shopping ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
Consumer Preference ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Online Shoppers ◽  
Information Search Behavior ◽  
Consumer Information Search

Pre-purchase information search is an integral part of consumer decision-making process and buying behavior. Understanding consumer information search behavior is vital for organizations in order to plan their communication strategy and reach consumers effectively. Though consumer information search behavior is extensively studied in traditional brick and mortar purchase situations, there is dearth of research in understanding consumer information search behavior in online shopping occasions. Given the rapid growth in electronic retail over the last few years, it is imperative to understand consumer information search behavior in online buying situations. This study investigates the factors that influence the extent of usage of different information sources in pre-purchase information search by online shoppers through an empirical research among 1079 online shoppers. The analysis of data using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) shows that consumers tend to use both traditional offline information sources and online information sources when they shop online. However, the preference for different online and offline information sources is likely to be different for hedonic and utilitarian products. Individual factors, such as Internet usage experience, need for cognition and age, also tend to influence consumer preference for different online and offline sources. This has important implications for e-marketers as they may need to use different communication channels depending on the nature of the product and the characteristics of their target consumers to effectively promote their offerings.

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