Mastering the Information Search Process: Key Steps in Consumer Behavior

 Information search process

Information search starts the moment a need is recognized. Once he need has been felt, the customer needs information on various dimensions related to need satisfying objects. So, a consumer is constantly recognizing problems. Having recognized the problem, he moves on the next stage in the decision-making process i.e. information search. We receive information about products or service from a wide range of source. And even we have no plans to make purchase we pick up all kinds of information through incidental learning. When we do have a plan to purchase of course our attention to such information is active and intense.

Information Sources –

1. Own personal experience.
2. Shop window display e.tc
3. Word of mouth.
4. A lecture on the product.

Consumer decision making required information inputs form the following process 

1. Evaluate Criteria – If a consumer decides to buy a product his first thought would be why do I need the product and what feature will meet with my requirements. then he would engage in an internal & external search to determine the features required to meet his needs.
2. Appropriate Alternatives – After searching for appropriate evaluative criteria our prospective buyer would try to locate various alternative brands again, he will engage in internal & external to come up with a comprehensive awareness set.
3. Alternative Characteristics – The consumer compares them on the basis of relevant evaluative criteria this process naturally requires the consumer to gather information on each brand on each evaluative criterion.
4. Information collection & processing – All the brands known to the customer constitute his awareness set. The awareness set in turn consists of three sub categories.
• Evoked Set – This comprises of those brands which he thinks are worthy further consideration since they can solve his problem.
• Inept Set – This comprises of those brands which he thinks are unworthy of further consideration.
• Inert Set – Consumer will generally accept favorable information about brands in this set. Brands in this set will be considered only if the preferred brands are not available.

Type of search 

1. Internal Search – It is a mental process of recalling and reviewing information stored in memory relating to a purchase situation. There are two dimensions of internal search –
• Extent of search – The degree of internal search can be widely from a simple recall of only a brand name to a more complete search through memory for relevant information, feeling and experience.
• Kind of information retrieved – A consumer generally recalls four major kinds of information. Brand name, attribute, evaluation done earlier and experience.
2. External Search – if information in the memory is missing, inadequate or is a suspect then an external search is required. It can be from personal sources i.e. friends, exports, sales people or from impersonal sources i.e. advertising, media reports e.tc.

Evaluate Criteria 

Evaluate Criteria are typically product features or attributes associated either with benefits desired by the customer or the cost he has to incur. To assess the benefits offered by goods a consumer uses a range of evaluative criteria. It can be tangible such as price, color, and size shape or performance characteristics or intangible such as brand image. Evaluate criteria can differ in number, type and importance. They also vary from customer to customer from product to product and situation to situation. For example, while buying a pair of trouser one person may go by the fit factors while the other may go for the styling, color, and price.

There are two important issues in understanding the use of evaluative criteria in selecting from several alternatives.

1. Number of Evaluative Criteria – The more important the purchase is for the consumer the more will be the evaluative criteria. While purchasing something of less importance the consumer will assess the product on fewer evaluative criteria.
2. Importance of Evaluative criteria – Many criteria may go into selection/relative importance varies for some consumer price is the most important and for others tech. is the model.
3. Selection of Evaluative Criteria - To develop a sound strategy to influence consumer decision a marketing manager has to determine.
• Which evaluate criteria is used by a consumer.
• What is the relative importance of these criteria?
• How the consumer perceives the various alternative on each of these criteria.

Determination of salient evaluative criteria 

There are direct and indirect method available to determine as to which criteria are used by the consumer while making a product choice.

1. Direct Method – It include asking the consumer straightway as to what information they use in a particular purchase.
2. Indirect Method – Indirect measurement technique assume that the consumer will not or cannot state their evaluative criteria. Two techniques are frequently used to know the consumer mind observation method.
• Projective technique
• Perceptual mapping.

Consumer Decisions Rules 

Rules govern the way in which different consumer evaluate different products in different buying situation. Consumer may use either compensatory or non-compensatory processes as decision rules in evaluating attributes of the alternative products under consideration.

1. Non-Compensatory Decision Rules – A non-compensatory rule is on in which the weakness of a possible alternative of a possible alternative is not offset by its strength. There are four types of non-compensatory rules.
• Disjunctive Rule – Using this rule the consumer first decide which criteria are determinants of his choice while which one are not. Then he establishes a minimum score on each one.
• Conjunctive Rules – Using this rule a consumer considers all evaluative criteria as determinant and a minimum acceptable value or score is established for each one.
• Lexicography Rule – The consumer using this rule rank each of the evaluative criteria in order of importance. If two suppliers score the same on the highest rank criterion, then the consumer uses the second, the third and so on
• Elimination by Aspects Rules – Here the consumer ranks the evaluative criteria and also sets minimum score that must be met on each of them. The alternative that doesn’t meet each minimum are eliminated.
2. Compensatory Decision Rules – Compensatory rule is more practical as here the consumer is able to make trade off while comparing alternative. If one attribute is very strong, it may compensate for the weakness in another. This approach therefore uses more than one evaluation criterion for assessment by consumer. There are two types of compensatory rules
• Simple Additive Rule – Using the simple additive rule the consumer totals the score on all evaluative criterions for each alternative and the highest score wins. This rule assumes that all criteria are of equal importance.
• Weighted Additive Rule – Using this rule the consumer assigns a relative weight to each evaluative criteria based on its perceived importance. Then the score on each evaluative criterion is multiplied by the relative weight to produce a weighted score. These weighted scores are summed up and brand with highest weighted score chosen.

FAQs 

What are the types of information search?

The two main types are internal search (memory and past experience) and external search (ads, reviews, friends, and websites).

Why are evaluation criteria important?

They help consumers objectively compare options and select the product that best satisfies their needs.

What are consumer decision rules?

Consumer decision rules are mental shortcuts or guidelines used to choose among alternatives.

Previous

Next