Chapter 4: Information search
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Information search
An important stage of consumer decision making
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Chapter 4: Information search
• Nature of information search
• Key types and sources of information
• Difference between evoked, inept and inert sets
of brands
• Why consumers engage in information search?
• Internet as an information source
• Factors that affect the amount of external
information search
• Marketing strategies based on different patterns
of search behaviour
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The nature of nature of information searches
Internal versus external search
Internal search
• Use of information from memory
• Habitual and limited decision making
External search
• The method used if a resolution to a problem is not
reached through an internal search
• The focus of the search then shifts to external stimuli
relevant to solving the problem.
• Extended decision making
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External information can include:
• The opinion, attitudes, behaviours and feelings of
friends, neighbours and relatives and from chat
groups or discussion forums on the internet
• Reviews by other consumers or consumer
organizations
• Professional information provided in brochures,
articles or books or on the internet
• Direct experience with the product through inspection
or trial
• Marketer-generated information provided by
advertisements, displays or sales staff, or on the
internet
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Source of Information
• Memories of past searches, personal exp and
low involvement learning
• Personal source such as friends, family and
others
• Independent sources, such as consumer
groups and government departments
• Marketing sources, such as sales staff,
advertising and websites
• Experiential sources, such as inspection or
product trial
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Information search
Ongoing search or exploratory
research
• Search for information conducted to
acquire information for later use
• Because the process itself is pleasurable
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Information sources for a purchase decision
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The type of information sought
Reasons:
• The appropriate evaluative criteria for
the solution of a problem
• The existence of various alternative
solutions
• The performance level or characteristic
of each alternative solution
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The type of information sought
Evaluative criteria
• The features or characteristics of a
product required to meet the consumer’s
needs: the features the consumer
believes a product should have such as
suitable price, brand or ingredients.
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Evaluative criteria
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The type of information sought
Appropriate alternatives
• Awareness set: a set of brands of which a consumer is
aware, composed of three subcategories: the evoked
set, the inept set and the inert set.
– Evoked set: comprises those brands that you will consider for
the solution of a particular consumer problem
– Inept set: those brands the consumer considers completely
unworthy of further consideration when attempting to solve a
consumption problem; the consumer actively dislikes the brands
in the set
– Inert set: those brand of which the consumer is aware, but
towards which he or she is basically indifferent.
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Brands in initial awareness set
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Categories of decision alternatives
4-
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Awareness and evoked sets for various
products
Most consumers, when faced with a problem, can recall a
limited number of brands that they feel are probably acceptable
solutions.
These acceptable brands, the evoked set, are the initial ones the
consumer seeks further information about during the
subsequent internal and external search process.
Therefore marketers should be very concerned that their
brands fall within the evoked set of brands. It is noteworthy
that only about a third of the ‘awareness’ brands are within the
evoked set of brands
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The type of information sought
Characteristics of alternatives
• In summary consumers engage in internal and
external searches for:
– Appropriate evaluative criteria
– The existence of potential solutions
– The characteristic of potential solutions
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Information search on the internet
• Internet is the most popular information
source for
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Marketing strategy and information
search on the internet
Companies need to ask:
– Should we have a website?
– What is the purpose of the site?
• Information only
• Company and product/service information
• To actively attract customers
• A shopping site
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Marketing strategy and information
search on the internet
• Search engine optimization. ...
• Email marketing. ...
• Content marketing. ...
• Social media marketing. ...
• Conversion rate optimization. ...
• Paid marketing. ...
• Influencer marketing. ...
• Web design
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Information searches on mobile devices
• Mobirati: Are younger consumers who grew up with
mobile phones and consider their mobile to be central
to their life (innovative and early adopter)
• Mobile professionals: younger and older use phones
for both their business and their personal life
• Social connectors: younger consumer s to whom
communication is key→ connect socially
• Pragmatic adopters: older consumers → mobile
phones came later in their lives
• Basic planners: older consumers who are not into
mobile other technology--> emergencies and basic
calling
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Marketing strategy and mobile search
• Optimize Your Website for Mobile
• Make Ads Short, Valuable, and Humorous
• Use QR Codes for Easy Mobile Access
• Voice Search and Virtual Assistants
• Social Media and Influencer Marketing
• Mobile App Usage
• Mobile Commerce
• Personalization
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Amount of external information
search
• Measures used:
– No. of stores visited
– No. of alternatives considered
– No. of personal sources used
– Overall or combination measures
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Classification of searchers
• Non-searchers
• Limited information searchers
• Extended information searchers
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Costs vs benefits of external search
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Factors affecting external search
Influencing factor Increasing the factor causes
search to:
1. Market characteristics
a) No. of alternatives Increase
b) Price range Increase
c) Store distribution Increase
d) Information availability Increase
i) Advertising
ii) POP Displays
iii) Sales personnel
iv) Packaging
v) Experienced consumers
vi) Independent sources
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Newspaper ads increase readers’
awareness of sales and in-store
promotions
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Factors affecting external search (cont)
Influencing factor Increasing the factor
causes search to:
2. Product characteristics
a) Price Increase
b) Differentiation Increase
c) Positive products Increase
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Factors affecting external search (cont)
Influencing factor Increasing the factor
causes search to:
3. Consumer characteristics
a) Learning and experience Decrease
b) Shopping orientation Mixed
c) Social status Increase
d) Age, gender, household Mixed
lifecycle
e) Product involvement Mixed
f) Perceived risk Increase
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Factors affecting external search (cont)
Influencing factor Increasing the factor
causes search to:
4. Situational characteristics
a) Time availability Increase
b) Purchase for self Decrease
c) Pleasant surroundings Increase
d) Social surroundings Mixed
e) Physical / mental energy Decrease
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Marketing strategies based on
information-search patterns
Target market decision making pattern
Habitual decision Limited Extended
making decision decision
Brand position (no search) making making
(limited search) (extensive
search)
Maintenance Capture Preference
Brand in strategy strategy strategy
evoked set
Disrupt strategy Intercept Acceptance
Brand in not
strategy strategy
evoked set
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Strategies (in evoked set)
• Maintenance strategy
– Habitual decision→ maintenance this behavior
– Product quality, distribution (avoid out of stock)
• Capture strategy
– Constant supply + quality
– Continue limited search
– Advertising, point of purchase, websites,
• Preference strategy
– Search locations must be anticipated, e.g. chemists
– POP + sales assistance
– Know where they search
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Strategies (not in evoked set)
• Disrupt strategy
– Attention-seeking ads
– Free samples or bonus encouraging trial
– Comparative advertising
• Intercept strategy
– Must attract attention
– POP display
– Product improvements, etc.
• Acceptance strategy
– Advertise but don’t ‘sell’ the brand
– Encourage consumer to seek information
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Summary
• What is the nature of information
search?
• Key types and sources of information?
• Difference between evoked, inept and
inert sets of brands
• Why consumers engage in information
search?
• How is the internet used as an
information source? 4–33
Next Lecture
Chapter 5:
Evaluating and selecting alternatives
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___________is a use of information from memory
Câu 1
A) Internal search
B) External search
C) Limited search
D) Extended search
___________is the method used if a resolution to a problem is not reached through
an internal search. This type of information search can be the opinion, attitudes,
Câu 2 behaviors and feelings of friends, neighbors and relatives and from chat groups or
discussion forums on the internet.
A) Internal search
B) External search
C) Limited search
D) Extended search
___________refers to search for information conducted to acquire information for later
Câu 3
use
A) Internal search
B) Ongoing search
C) External search
D) Limited search
The features or characteristics of a product required to meet the consumer’s needs:
the features the consumer believes a product should have such as suitable price,
Câu 4
brand or ingredients.
A) Brand characteristics
B) Product requirement
C) Evaluative criteria
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D) Brand features
___________ comprises those brands that you will consider for the solution of a
Câu 5 particular consumer problem
A) Inept set
B) Evoked set
C) Inert set
D) Brand set
____________refers to those brands the consumer considers completely unworthy
Câu 6 of further consideration when attempting to solve a consumption problem; the
consumer actively dislikes the brands in the set
A) Evoked set
B) Inert set
C) Inept set
D) Brand set
Those brand of which the consumer is aware, but towards which he or she is
Câu 7 basically indifferent. This set is called _____________
A) Inept set
B) Evoked set
C) Inert set
D) Brand set
_____________are younger consumers who grew up with mobile phones and
Câu 8 consider their mobile to be central to their life (innovative and early adopter)
A) Mobirati
B) Mobile professionals
C) Social connectors
D) Basic planners 4–36
Classification of searchers include ___________, limited information searchers, and
Câu 9 extended information searchers
A) Basic searchers
B) Non-searchers
C) Normal searchers
D) Information searchers
___________ is a strategy employed by marketers to maintain current purchase
Câu 10 behavior in a situation where the brand is purchased habitually by the target market
A) Maintenance strategy
B) Capture strategy
C) Preference strategy
D) Disrupt strategy
___________ is a strategy employed by marketers when the brand is in the target
Câu 11 market’s evoked set and consumers engage in limited decision marketing.
A) Maintenance strategy
B) Capture strategy
C) Preference strategy
D) Disrupt strategy
___________ is a strategy employed by marketers when the brand they are
promoting is not part of the target market’s evoked set and consumers engage in
Câu 12
extended decision marketing.
A) Acceptance strategy
B) Capture strategy
C) Preference strategy
D) Disrupt strategy
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Four main factors affecting degree of external search immediately before
Câu 13 purchase: Product characteristics, consumer characteristics, situational
characteristics, and __________________
A) Market characteristics
B) Purchase characteristics
C) Marketing characteristics
D) Business characteristics
The greater number of alternatives (products, stores, brands) available to resolve
Câu 14
a particular problem, which source of information search needs to be more.
A) Internal search
B) External search
C) Normal search
D) Ongoing search
When customers have a lot of learning and experience about particular product,
Câu 15
how about external information search do customers need?
A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Mixed
D) None of all above
When customers appear to enjoy shopping for positive product, how about
Câu 16
external information search do customers need?
A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Mixed
D) None of all above
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When customers buy a very expensive product, how about external
Câu 17
information search do customers need?
A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Mixed
D) None of all above
When customers find that the range of price for a particular product is a big
Câu 24
factor, how about external information search do customers need to do?
A) Increase
B) Decrease
C) Mixed
D) None of all above
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