Marketing Management, 16th Edition

Information Search

Surprisingly, consumers often search for only limited information. Surveys have shown that half of all consumers look for durable goods at just one store, and a mere 30 percent look at more than one brand of appliances. We can distinguish between two levels of engagement in the search. The milder search state is called heightened attention. At this level a person simply becomes more receptive to information about a product. At the next level, the person may enter an active information search: looking for reading material, phoning friends, going online, and visiting stores to learn about the product.

Marketers must understand what type of information consumers seek—or are at least receptive to—at different times and places. ...