Consumer Information Search Research Articles

Framework for adoption of generative AI for information search of retail products and services

PurposeGenerative artificial intelligence (GAI) can disrupt how consumers search for information on retail products/services online by reducing information overload. However, the risk associated with GAI is high, and its widespread adoption for product/service information search purposes is uncertain. This study examined psychological drivers that impact consumer adoption of GAI platforms for retail information search.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted 31 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the lead GAI users regarding product/service information search. The data were analysed using a grounded theory paradigm and thematic analysis.FindingsResults show that consumers experience uncertainty about GAI’s functioning. Their trust in GAI impacts the adoption and usage of this technology for information search. GAI provides unique settings to investigate potential additional factors, leveraging UTAUT as a theoretical basis. This study identified three overarching themes – technology characteristics, technology readiness and information characteristics – as possible drivers of adoption.Originality/valueConsumers seek exhaustive and reliable information for purchase decisions. Due to the abundance of online information, they experience information overload. GAI platforms reduce information overload by providing synthesized and customized product/service search results. However, its reliability, trustworthiness and accuracy have been questioned. The functioning of GAI is opaque; the popular technology adoption model such as UTAUT is general and is unlikely to explain in totality the adoption and usage of GAI. Hence, this research provides the adoption drivers for this unique technology context. It identifies the determinants/antecedents of relevant UTAUT variables and develops an integrated conceptual model explaining GAI adoption for retail information search.

Exploring the Impact of Consumer Information Search on Communication Product Choice in a Multi-channel Shopping Environment Using TAM Model

In the era of ubiquitous technology and information accessibility, multi-channel shopping has emerged as a prevalent consumer purchasing mode. This diversified shopping landscape presents consumers with an array of shopping channels and product options, profoundly influencing their shopping behaviors and decision-making processes, particularly in the realm of information search. This study delves into the impact of consumer information search behavior on communication product choice within a multi-channel shopping environment, employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical framework. The findings unveil a significant correlation between consumers' acceptance of various shopping channels and their information search behavior, which in turn shapes their communication product choices. Notably, consumers' perceptions of ease of use, information richness, and transaction security associated with shopping channels influence their channel acceptance, subsequently impacting their communication product choice behavior. These insights hold valuable implications for companies in crafting more effective marketing strategies and promotional plans, while also contributing to academic discourse on consumer behavior and the application of the Technology Acceptance Model.

Pola Penggunaan Aplikasi Transportasi Online di Kalangan Asisten Rumah Tangga

This study aims to reveal and map patterns or models of information search for household assistants as consumers of users of online transportation services. Using a case study approach is expected to reveal consumer behavior patterns and information search models relating to new economic products that can be developed for new professions in Indonesia.The results showed there were differences in ART in the search for information, for personal interests such as work leave, going with friends to the Mall, delivering to the station, ordering food and there were some who used it to support their work. Usually they prefer cash payments, and take advantage of discount promos.In the study also found three behavioral patterns in ART, namely (1) the usual personal pattern of informants using applications for personal needs. (2) Work Support Patterns on ART that they usually use online transportation applications to support their work, and (3) Social Patterns, where use is intended to help other ART members who cannot use the application.

The Use of Intelligent Decision Support System in Traveloka Company's Decision-Making Process

The aviation industry is currently experiencing rapid growth due to advancements in information technology, which have transformed the way consumers search for information and book tickets online. Traveloka, founded in March 2012, is one of the companies that has successfully leveraged this technology optimally. With intelligent algorithms, Traveloka can analyze user preferences and provide suitable recommendations, although the effectiveness of its intelligent support system needs further investigation to enhance user satisfaction and operational efficiency. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Traveloka's intelligent support system in decision-making, using qualitative methods and a literature review approach. The development model proposed by Peter Fenrich is used to ensure that the system built can effectively and efficiently meet user needs. The research results show that Traveloka's intelligent support system is very helpful in providing accurate recommendations, increasing user satisfaction and operational efficiency, and providing a competitive advantage in the e-commerce market. Overall, the use of information technology and intelligent support systems at Traveloka significantly contributes to the advancement of the aviation industry, simplifies the ticket booking process, and enhances the company's competitiveness. Further research is needed to continue improving the effectiveness and efficiency of this system, thereby providing greater benefits for consumers and the company.

Consumer Behavior in the E - Commerce Era

This research investigates the relationship between factors such as accessibility, social media influence, personalization, user satisfaction, customer retention strategies, and consumer behavior in the context of e-commerce. Through a systematic literature review, the authors explore how these factors influence the way consumers search for information, evaluate options, and make purchasing decisions in an electronic commerce environment. The results show that there is a significant relationship between these factors and consumer behavior in e-commerce, with relevant implications for companies' marketing and sales strategies in the digital era.

Qualitative insight into the internet frauds within` the context of consumers in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract Online shopping helps consumers search for information about products and services, makes it easier to compare prices and product features, and enables a quick and easy exchange of positive and negative experiences. However, through numerous positive advantages, there is inevitably a constant increase in the negative consequences of online shopping, especially from the consumer's perspective.

Operation strategies of capital-constrained small and medium-sized enterprises based on blockchain technology

Introduction: In reality, due to the low credit rating of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it is difficult for them to obtain sufficient financing from a single financier. This paper considers a dual-channel supply chain consisting of a capital-constrained manufacturer, an e-commerce platform (ECP), a third-party logistics company (3PL) and consumers. There are two innovations in this paper: the manufacturer obtains sufficient production funds through hybrid financing of the ECP and 3PL, and consumers want to know product information and compare prices. The contributions of this paper are to investigate new applications of blockchain in both hybrid financing and meeting consumer information search needs.Methodology: We discuss the operation and pricing decisions of supply chain in two scenarios. These two scenarios are without adopting blockchain (N) and with adopting blockchain (B). Then, we compare the equilibrium decisions in two scenarios.Results: The results show that the supply chain will adopt blockchain when certain conditions are met. The initial adoption of blockchain is bad for the ECP and 3PL. Further, we find that with the increase of financing ratio, the optimal financing interest rate of the ECP decreases, while the optimal financing interest rate of the 3PL increases.Discussion: The numerical analysis shows that the adoption of blockchain can be more profitable when the cost of information search is high.Management insights: In order to achieve supply chain coordination, the manufacturer should give subsidies the ECP and 3PL.

Consumer Information Search in Live-Streaming: Product Involvement and the Moderating Role of Scarcity Promotion and Impulsiveness

While the literature acknowledges the impact of product involvement on consumer information search, little work discerns the boundary conditions of product involvement on information searching. Product involvement reflects an individual’s interest in an object because of its inherent values, necessity, and interest. This study investigates the combined moderating role of limited-quantity scarcity and personal impulsiveness in the relationship between product involvement and information search behavior. A survey experiment with 402 participants was conducted to test this hypotheses. The experiment in this study used a 2 (cognitive involvement: high vs. low) × 2 (affective involvement: high vs. low) × 2 (limited-quantity scarcity: high vs. low) between-subjects design. The results provided strong evidence that (1) cognitive involvement is positively associated with online information search, whereas affective involvement is not associated with online information search; (2) limited-quantity scarcity significantly weakens the impact of cognitive involvement on online information search, but it does not have an interaction effect with affective involvement on online information search; and (3) the three-way interaction among product involvement (i.e., cognitive involvement and affective involvement), limited-quantity scarcity, and impulsiveness on consumer information search is significant. This study extends the current information searching studies by uncovering personal impulsiveness and limited-quantity scarcity as boundary conditions that influence the effects of cognitive involvement and affective involvement on consumer information search. The findings can help stakeholders promote the sustainability of e-commerce live-streaming in practice.

Men on a mission, women on a journey - Gender differences in consumer information search behavior via SNS: The perceived value perspective

Gender has a considerable effect on how consumers search for information, shaping their behavior through a variety of motives. Previous research shows that the benefit consumers wish to gain from the information influences their search behavior on social networking sites (SNS). This study examines the extent to which gender influences the connection between perceived information values and the choice of SNS information source: commercial (marketer-generated content) and non-commercial (user-generated content). A representative Facebook users' sample (N = 525) and SEM statistics show gender differences in search behavior on SNS. Findings also demonstrate the impact of gender on the relationships between information values and preferred source of information, and demonstrate different motivations for male and female search behavior. The implications for both theory and practice are presented and analyzed.

Consumers choice of small independent specialty stores in shopping centers during weekday extended trading hours: A qualitative study

This study explored the behavioral dynamics that is responsible for the success of the small independent specialty retailers in a shopping center during weekday extended trading hours. Drawing on literature from different areas, consumers’ shopping experiences, browsing patterns and factors influencing browsing activities in small independent specialty stores in a shopping center during weekday extended trading hours was investigated. The study was carried out in Brisbane, Australia. Two focus groups with consumers and a personal interview with an expert was performed. This research found consumers were usually goal oriented during weekday late evening trading hours and they would usually engage in browsing in-stores only when they require customer assistance. This research was also able to understand and establish the behavioural dynamics that can determine the performance of the small independent specialty stores during extended trading hours. Overall, this research suggests that the small independent specialty stores are unlikely to experience an increase in sales or attract more customers by extending the trading hours. This study makes an important step in understanding consumers demand for small independent specialty stores in categorized shopping centers during the extended trading hours. The conceptualization and findings of this research contribute to two areas of research: consumer spatial behavior and consumer information search in small independent specialty stores in a shopping center during weekday extended trading hours.

Design Principles of a Mixed-Reality Shopping Assistant System in Omnichannel Retail

New digital technologies furnish retail managers with new means to enhance consumer experiences in omnichannel retailing. Conceptual academic literature and industry emphasize the promising use of immersive digital displays and their potential benefits for retailers. In this research, we present the design of a personal shopping assistance system that is based on optical see-through mixed-reality technology. Microsoft HoloLens 2 was leveraged as the archetype to realize this novel system, facilitating consumer information search and decision making. The design incorporates various shopping assistance elements (i.e., product information, reviews, recommendations, product availability, videos, a virtual cart, and an option to buy). Users can interact with these elements with gesture-based inputs to navigate through the interface. A qualitative study with 35 participants was conducted to collect users’ feedback and perceptions about the mixed-reality shopping assistant system. Derived from the qualitative feedback, we propose seven design principles that aim to support future designs and developments of mixed-reality shopping applications for head-mounted displays in omnichannel retail: rigor, informativeness, tangibility, summary, comparability, flexibility and holism.

Motivational differences in need for smell

PurposeThis research aims to examine the conditions under which individuals’ olfaction is actively engaged in purchase decisions. Consequently, it introduces the concept of need for smell (NFS) to measure differential motivation for the extraction and use of odor information in buying contexts. A ten-item NFS scale was developed that consists of hedonic and utilitarian dimensions.Design/methodology/approachThe scale’s dimensionality and construct validity were examined in five studies. The moderating role of NFS and the mediating role of emotions in the relationship between odor perception and consumer responses were examined. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses and customized PROCESS models.FindingsThe results show that NFS is a two-dimensional construct. The results further support the scale’s internal structure as well as its reliability, convergent, discriminant and nomological validity. NFS moderates the relationship between odor perception and consumer responses, and emotions mediate this relationship. While hedonic NFS strengthens the impact of odor perception on consumer responses, utilitarian NFS weakens this effect.Research limitations/implicationsThe present research extends Krishna’s sensory marketing framework, De Luca and Botelho’s scent research framework and Herz et al.’s scent benefits framework, by introducing the concept of NFS into these frameworks. The study demonstrates the relevance and functionality of NFS construct and NFS scale. The study extends the consumer scent research by introducing NFS and illustrating the interplay of odor perception and NFS on consumer responses to scent stimuli.Practical implicationsThe NFS scale used in this study adds to the genre of individual difference scales such as need for cognition and need for touch. Given its smell-specific focus, it has applications in a range of consumption contexts. Using NFS, marketers could effectively identify low and high hedonic and utilitarian NFS consumers and position product or ambient scents to serve these segments better. The NFS scale also has implications for the areas of product and service design and development, consumer information search, brand judgments and choice preferences in both scented and non-scented environments.Originality/valueThis work is one of the first attempts, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to explain motivational differences in active engagement of olfaction, especially in purchase decisions. As a critical step in exploring olfactory information processing, the study demonstrates the relevance and functionality of NFS construct and NFS scale. The study extends the consumer scent research by introducing NFS and illustrating the interplay of odor perception and NFS on consumer responses to scent stimuli.

The Whole Is More than Its Parts: A Multidimensional Construct of Values in Consumer Information Search Behavior on SNS

The notion of consumer values has been a key factor in understanding consumer behavior and has attracted the attention of various scholars in e-commerce. The aims of this study are to conceptualize a multidimensional construct of consumer information value (CIV) on social network sites (SNS), to examine the construct empirically, and to investigate the nature of its relationships with consumer information search behavior, i.e., the use of information channels on SNS. Quantitative research was conducted using a representative sample of 612 Facebook users. The use of a higher-order construct and structural equation modeling procedures reveals that the following five value constructs—Economic, Psychological, Social, Functional and Hedonic values—are significant facets of the CIV. It suggests that the CIV model is a powerful tool that directly explains consumer information search behavior and has better explanatory power than the sum of its parts.

Driving a difference: the role of the Covid-19 pandemic in U.S. consumers’ information search behaviors and purchasing of Japanese automobiles

PurposeWhile prior research has investigated factors that predict consumers’ information search behaviors as they relate to automobiles, such studies were conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the pandemic has necessitated lockdowns, social distancing, business closures and other disruptions to normal shopping activities, consumer information search behaviors have also been substantially altered as the psychological distance between consumers and marketers has increased. Thus, this study aims to examine these changes and identify patterns of search behavior for a major durable product: automobiles.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data from before and during the pandemic, the study implements Finite Mixture Modeling to unveil latent segments of U.S. consumers’ search behaviors and choices for Japanese automobiles. This analytic method enables capturing consumer unobserved heterogeneity through mixing probabilities guided by individual characteristics. These segments are determined based on consumers’ information search for online and offline marketer-controlled and nonmarketer-controlled sources.FindingsThe study identifies that two segments of consumers emerge both prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic. These empirically validated findings indicate that the pandemic has led to shifts in consumers’ information search behaviors for Japanese automobiles by relying more on nonmarketer-controlled sources of information.Originality/valueThis work is among the first comprehensive empirical analyses of consumer search for a major durable product by comparing pre- and during pandemic patterns. Using analytics and econometrics, the first-hand analysis findings offer meaningful implications for marketers and product managers in the automotive industry.

Analysis of Factors Affecting the Decision to Purchase Online Case Study (Customer Tapa-Bulango)

The aims of this study are: 1) To determine the factors that influence purchasing decisions online by consumers in Tapa-Bulango; 2) To identify the dominant factors that influence purchasing decisions online by consumers in Tapa-Bulango.
 The research method used in this research is qualitative with a descriptive approach. The number of informants used in this study was 7 people.
 The results show that (1) consumers choose to do online shopping because through online media consumers can get clear information about the products they need; (2) Consumers search for information through internet media and also ask friends or family who have bought the same product; (3) After obtaining clear information, the consumer evaluates the product to be purchased by comparing the quality and price of the goods; (4) In making transaction decisions, there are consumers who choose the COD method because they can still check the products purchased. And there are also consumers who follow the alternatives provided by the online store; (5) After making a purchase, there are consumers who actively comment on the products purchased in the online store comments column and there are also consumers who do not provide any comments.

Navigating the Field of Contemporary Political Consumerism: Consumer Boycott and Consumer Buycott Vistas

The aim of this paper is to understand and compare the two growing forms of contemporary political consumerism, boycott and buycott, in competitive marketplace. We used an existential-phenomenology approach and conducted 15 in-depth interviews. This resulted in 75 boycott and buycott consumption experiences and 229 pages of interview transcripts. Content analysis shows that consumers perceive boycott and buycott as two distinct actions. They differ in terms of goal orientation (avoidance vs. approach), ease of participation, as well as consumer information search and learning style. Further, we identify similar and unique motivational factors for boycott and buycott. Specifically, we show motivations within individual context, boycott activity context, and societal context. Strong evidence indicates that, within individual context, motivations relating to self-enhancement, required resources and associated costs are important for both boycott and buycott consumerism. Motivations within societal context also seems to be relevant for both types of consumerism. However, only the motivations within the boycott activity context were found in this study. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

Pengaruh Webrooming terhadap Confident, Smart Shopping Feeling, User-generated Content, dan Search Process Satisfaction

<em>Recently, many people are switching from conventional shopping to digital shopping. even so, people feel that online shopping is less secure. Finally, many consumers search for information through the internet before shopping at brick and mortar stores</em><strong>. </strong><em>This study investigates how webrooming affects consumers’ experience and determines the effect of webrooming on consumer confidence, smart shopping feeling, user-generated content, and search process satisfaction in the beauty industry. The population in this study were all the beauty industry consumers who experience webrooming in the shopping process. The total sample used in this study was 166 people using purposive sampling. The result obtained from this study finds that webrooming has a significant and positive effect on confidence, smart shopping feeling, user-generated content. Both factors, confidence and smart shopping feeling subsequently significant and have a positive effect on search process satisfaction.</em>

Developing a multi‐dimensional product evaluation scale

AbstractThis research develops and validates a scale to assess products on salient characteristics that influence consumers’ decision‐making. The product characteristics (PC) scale assesses products on 12 major dimensions using 34‐items. Next, the paper demonstrates the scale's validity and value in a study of the effects of PC on the consumer information search effort, impulse buying, and word‐of‐mouth behavior, representing different stages of the consumer decision‐making process. The findings highlight the need for a revitalized examination of the consumer decision‐making process with a focus on PC by showing that (1) PC have significant direct effects on a variety of critical marketing outcomes, (2) these effects interact with demographic variables such as age and gender that are currently undergoing major shifts, and (3) these effects vary across offline and online settings. Thus, the findings highlight the value of incorporating PC into models of consumer behavior especially in the current era of shifting demographics and e‐commerce. To this end, this study contributes to the literature by offering a multifaceted, reliable, and valid scale to assess products on a wide range of characteristics that can be used in the study of any marketing‐related phenomena that can be assumed to be product‐contingent.

A systematic review of consumer information search in online and offline environments

A systematic review of consumer information search in online and offline environments

A systematic review of consumer information search in online and offline environments

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify major themes and potential research opportunities in online and offline consumer search. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review was conducted based on 118 articles identified from prevalent journal databases. Keywords frequency analysis was carried out to identify the major themes. An inductive thematic analysis was carried out to verify the generated themes. Findings Results show that uncertainty, knowledge, perceived risk, price, experience and involvement are the major themes associated with consumer information search. Uncertainty, one of the major themes of offline search, has not been studied in the online search context. Similarly, the previous experience needs to be explored in the context of the offline search. Finally, potential research opportunities for future research has been summarized based on the retrieved themes. Research limitations/implications The systematic review provides an in-depth understanding on the current research on information search literature with future research directions. Practical implications This study helps retailers to understand the key elements that motivate consumers to perform external information searches from online and offline sources and to curate targeted information provision strategies to influence purchase decisions. Social implications Consumers with limited internet availability may access channels prior to decision-making. The themes identified in this study can aid policymakers to design affordable access to these channels. Originality/value This study adds to the sparse literature on systematic reviews on consumer search for online and offline channels.