Ongoing search among industrial buyers

Abstract

Literature on organizational buying behavior pays little attention to ongoing search, i.e., information search activities that are independent of specific purchase decisions. This study employs ethnographic methods to investigate the nature of ongoing search in the context of trade shows. The study contributes to the literature on information search among industrial buyers by highlighting its bias in favor of search processes that lead to short-term purchases. The research findings have strong implications for trade show scholarship, as they cast a critical light on the “received view” on how to effectively select, manage and measure returns on trade show investments. This article offers a more complex and nuanced view of visitor behavior at trade shows and introduces a broader perspective on the significance of these events for their underlying markets.