The Internet provides a number of benefits to consumers in several ways. The Internet offers powerful search and screening tools (Alba et al., 1997; Haubl & Trifts, 20000), an abundance of product information (Alba et al., 1997; Dholakia & Bagozzi, 2001; Papacharissi & Rubin 2000; Peterson & Merino, 2003), and a wide range of product selections and prices (Bakos, 1997; Brynjolfsson & Smith, 2000). The cost-effective nature and easy access to a vast information resource have generated great interest in this new medium (Donthu & Garcia 1999).
Many researchers have attempted to better understand Web users and online shopping (Jarvenpaa & Todd, 1997; Korgaonkar & Wolin, 1999). Studies have found that online users are convenience seekers, time starved (Bellman, Lohse, & Johnson, 1999; Donthu & Garcia 1999; Kaufman-Scarborough & Lindquist, 2002; Szymanski & Hise, 2000), more educated (Burke, 2002; Ratchford, Lee, & Talukdar, 2003), and older and with a higher income (Donthu & Garcia 1999) than non online shoppers. While some researchers have focused on the functional aspects of shopping motivation such as price, convenience, and accessibility (Alba et al., 1997; Degeratu, Rangswamy, & Wu, 2000), others have suggested the need for studying non functional motivations for online shopping such as fun and recreation (Girard, Korgaonkar, & Silverblatt, 2003; Parker & Plank, 2000; Parsons, 2002; Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2001).
The Internet can facilitate information search because it reduces search costs by providing bountiful price and product related information (Bakos, 1997; Brynjolfsson & Smith, 2000). Online information search is particularly useful for search goods (i.e., computers, books, travels) due to the low perceived costs of offering and assessing objective data (Klein, 1998).
With the increasing popularity of the Internet as a viable information source and a transaction channel, researchers have begun to turn their attention to the nature of information search on the Web either by examining information search patterns on the Web (Catledge & Pitkow, 1995; Choo, Detlor, & Turnbull, 1999; Hölscher & Strube, 2000; Tauscher & Greenberg, 1997a, 1997b) or by exploring factors affecting online information search (Klein & Ford, 2002; Liang & Huang, 1998; Ratchford, Talukdar, & Lee, 2001; Shim, Eastlick, Lotz, & Warrington, 2001). For example, Tauscher and Greenberg (1997a, 1997b) identified seven Web browsing patterns based on the rate that Web pages were visited. Shim et al. (2001) found that shopping attitude, perceived control of information or skill, and prior purchase experience are crucial factors influencing online search and purchase intention. Also, Ratchford et al. (2001) revealed that Internet accessibility and skill are important in determining consumer search activity in an online environment. Most recently, Ratchford et al. (2003) examined what kind of factors affect consumer’s using various sources of automobile information such as retailers, friends/relatives, non-advocate sources in print media (i.e., Consumer Reports), and the Internet. They found that overall search is decreased with increasing Internet usage, education, age, and income. The Internet substantially reduces the time with dealer/manufacturer sources, which leads to a reduction in total search.
These two streams of research suggest that there are different patterns of information search on the Web and, more importantly, there seem to be several additional factors (e.g., shopping attitude, experience, perceived control and skills, Internet availability) that influence consumer information search activity on the Web. These researchers, however, have focused on a limited set of factors and therefore do not provide a comprehensive understanding of what motivates consumers to navigate the Web for shopping purposes. Hence, the following section of this chapter will present a model with a complete set of factors already integrated to explain online information search behavior fully. In addition, testable research propositions for future empirical investigation of consumer information search on the Internet are suggested.