Abstract
Consumer search behaviour is a central process in the functioning of markets because it determines how customers find and evaluate information about competing suppliers and therefore determines to a large extent buying behaviour. A review of the empirical evidence of search behaviour based on the theoretical constructs of consideration set and time is used as the basis for evaluating competing theories from Information Systems, economics, decision-making theory and marketing that seek to explain and predict consumer search patterns. A multi-disciplinary bricolage search model is proposed that incorporates elements from previous theories but differs from established theory by acknowledging that search may best be described as rummaging to build an information mosaic and therefore appears more random than was previously thought. A bricolage model may help explain a range of different search behaviours, for example iterative and sometimes seemingly chaotic search patterns, narrow search behaviour, haphazard search behaviour, heuristic approaches and relatively small amounts of attention paid on evaluating different options. The theoretical and managerial implications of the ideas are outlined, which indicate areas for further research.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anonymous. (2000). A thinkers’ guide to internet economics. The Economist, 355, 64–66.
Bellman, S., Lohse, G. L., & Johnson, E. J. (1999). Predictors of online buying behavior. Communications of the ACM, 42, 32–38.
Besanko, D., Dranove, D., Shanley, M., & Schaefer, S. (2009). Economics of strategy. Wiley.
Brown, J. J., & Wildt, A. R. (1992). Consideration set measurement. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 20, 235–243.
Bughin, J., Corb, L., Manyika, J., Nottebohm, O., Chui, M., de Muller Barba, T. B., & Said, R. (July 2011). The impact of internet technologies: Search. McKinsey&Company, High Tech Practice.
Chaffey, D., & Smith, P. (2017). Digital marketing excellence: planning, optimizing and integrating online marketing. Taylor & Francis.
Chekuri, C., & Goldwasser, M. H. (1997). Web search using automatic classification. In Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on the World Wide Web.
Chestnut, R. W., & Jacoby, J. (1978). Consumer information processing: Emerging theory and findings. Graduate School of Business: Columbia University.
Church, K., & Oliver, N. (2011). Understanding mobile web and mobile search use in today’s dynamic mobile landscape. In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (pp. 67–76). ACM.
Court, D., Elzinga, D., Mulder, S., & Vetvik, O. J. (2009). The consumer decision journey. McKinsey Quarterly, 11.
Davenport, T. H., & Beck, J. C. (2001). The attention economy: Understanding the new currency of business. Harvard Business Press.
De los Santos, B., & Koulayev, S. (2017). Optimizing click-through in online rankings with endogenous search refinement. Marketing Science.
Ehrenberg, A. S. (1965). An appraisal of Markov brand-switching models. Journal of Marketing Research, 347–362.
Engel, J. F., Blackwell, R. D., & Miniard, P. W. (1995). Consumer behaviour (8th ed.). Orlando, FL: The Dryden Press, Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Frank, R. E. & Massy, W. F. (1963). Innovation and brand choice: The Folger’s invasion. In Proceedings of the American marketing association (pp. 96–107).
Hauser, J. R., & Wernerfelt, B. (1990). An evaluation cost model of consideration sets. Journal of Consumer Research, 16, 393–408.
Holland, C., & Mandry, G. (2015). Online retailing. The International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication and Society.
Holland, C. P., & Jacobs, J. A. (2015). The Influence of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and Product Complexity on Search Behaviour: A Cross-sector Study of the US, Germany and UK.
Holland, C. P., Jacobs, J. A., & Klein, S. (2016). The role and impact of comparison websites on the consumer search process in the US and German airline markets. Information Technology & Tourism, 16, 127–148.
Holland, C. P., & Mandry, G. D. (2013). Online search and buying behaviour in consumer markets. In 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 10.
Hotchkiss, G., & Alston, S. (2005). Eye tracking study: An in depth look at interactions with Google using eye tracking methodology. Enquiro Search Solutions Incorporated.
Howard, J. A., & Sheth, J. N. (1969). The theory of buyer behavior. New York: Wiley.
Internet Advertising Bureau. (2012). IAB/ PwC UK Digital Adspend Study H1 2012. www.iabuk.net.
Jacobs, J. A., Klein, S., Holland, C. P., & Benning, M. Online search behavior in the air travel market: reconsidering the consideration set and customer journey concepts. In Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2017.
Jacoby, J., Speller, D. E., & Kohn, C. A. (1974). Brand choice behavior as a function of information load. Journal of Marketing Research, 63–69.
Johnson, E. J., Moe, W. W., Fader, P. S., Bellman, S., & Lohse, G. L. (2004). On the depth and dynamics of online search behavior. Management Science, 50, 299–308.
Jones, J. P. (1990). Ad spending: Maintaining market share. Harvard Business Review, 68, 38–42.
Karimi, S., Papamichail, K. N., & Holland, C. P. (2015). The effect of prior knowledge and decision-making style on the online purchase decision-making process: A typology of consumer shopping behaviour. Decision Support Systems, 77, 137–147.
Kincheloe, J. L. (2001). Conceptualizing a new rigor in qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 7, 679–692.
Malone, T. W., Yates, J., & Benjamin, R. I. (1989). The logic of electronic markets. Harvard Business Review, 67, 166–172.
Massy, W. F., & Frank, R. E. (1964). Reprinted from the 1964 business and economic statistics section.
Narayana, C. L., & Markin, R. J. (1975). Consumer behavior and product performance: An alternative conceptualization. The Journal of Marketing, 1–6.
Pan, B. (2015). The power of search engine ranking for tourist destinations. Tourism Management, 47, 79–87.
Shih, C.-F. E. (1998). Conceptualizing consumer experiences in cyberspace. European Journal of Marketing, 32, 655–663.
Silk, A. J., & Urban, G. L. (1978). Pre-test-market evaluation of new packaged goods: A model and measurement methodology. Journal of Marketing Research, 171–191.
Simon, H. A. (1955). A behavioral model of rational choice. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 69, 99–118.
Stigler, G. J. (1961). The economics of information. The Journal of Political Economy, 69, 213–225.
Swann, G. M. P. (2001). Will the internet lead to perfect competition? Business Economist, 32, 6–15.
Urban, G. L., Johnson, P. L., & Hauser, J. R. (1984). Testing competitive market structures. Marketing Science, 3, 83–112.
Voorveld, H. A. M., Bronner, F. E., Neijens, P. C., & Smit, E. G. (2013). Developing an instrument to measure consumers’ multimedia usage in the purchase process. International Journal on Media Management, 15, 43–65.
Zhang, J. J., Fang, X., & Liu Sheng, O. R. (2006). Online consumer search depth: Theories and new findings. Journal of Management Information Systems, 23, 71–95.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my colleagues in decision-sciences, Information Systems, economics and marketing for their indirect contributions to this paper based on our extensive discussions about consumer search behaviour, in particular Dr. Nadia Papamichail, Dr. Sahar Karimi, Ms. Julia Jacobs and Prof. Gordon Mandry. Any errors or omissions are the sole responsibility of the author.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Holland, C.P. (2019). Consumer Search Patterns: Empirical Evidence, Competing Theories and Managerial Implications. In: Riemer, K., Schellhammer, S., Meinert, M. (eds) Collaboration in the Digital Age. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94487-6_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94487-6_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94486-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94487-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)