Marketing 334

Consumer Behavior
Chapter 15
Information Search

From: Consumer Behavior , 10th ed. By Hawkins, Mothersbaugh and Best

Nature of Information Search

External Search
Internal Search
If a resolution is not reached
Search of long-term memory to
through internal search, then
determine if a satisfactory
the search process is
solution is known.
focused on relevant external
information.
Types of Information Sought

Consumer decisions require information about:

 Appropriate evaluative criteria

 The existence of various alternatives

 Performance of each alternative on each evaluative

criterion

15-3
Types of Information Sought
Information Search
Types of Information Sought
Sources of Information

Five primary sources of information available to consumers:

 Memory of past searches, personal experiences, and low-

involvement learning
 Personal sources, such as friends, family, and others.
 Independent sources, such as magazines, consumer
groups, and government agencies
 Marketing sources, such as sales personnel, websites, and
advertising
 Experiential sources, such as inspection or product trial

15-6
Sources of Information

15-7
Sources of Information
Information Search on the Internet

There are numerous shopping services on the Internet that can:

search out the lowest prices for specific items
search out online retailers of specific merchandise
suggest specific brands based on your prior purchases and pre-
specified criteria
These services use bots or shopping bots,
bots which are software “robots” that
do the shopping/searching for users.
Sources of Information
Information Search on the Internet

Three major strategic issues marketers face regarding the Internet’s role in
information search and decision making:
making

1. How can they drive their information to consumers?

2. How can they drive consumers to their information?

3. How (if at all) can online selling be utilized or integrated with existing
channels ?

15-9
 Sources of Information
Driving Consumers to a Firm’s Information

Website design is also critical. Ongoing and repeat traffic requires relevant and
frequently updated content.

Consumers need ongoing incentives to

return such as:
•product-related news features
•user-related discussion forums
•updates on new products

Firms use various incentive techniques to

encourage repeat traffic
Amount of External Information Search

Various measures of external information search:

1. Number of stores visited

2. Number of alternatives considered

3. Number of personal sources used, and

4. Overall or combination measures

15-11
Costs vs. Benefits of External Search

 Market Characteristics

 Product Characteristics

 Consumer Characteristics

 Situation Characteristics

15-12
Marketing Strategies Based on Information
Search Patterns
Six marketing strategies based on search patterns:
1. Maintenance Strategy

2. Disrupt Strategy

3. Capture Strategy

4. Intercept Strategy

5. Preference Strategy

6. Acceptance Strategy

15-13