Over the last ten years, the Internet has received growing importance all over the world. With the increasing user numbers, also companies have developed an interest in presenting themselves online and using the new medium as a tool for Marketing and PR. However, the open structure of the Internet has also enabled customers to publish their opinions on companies and product. Without being dependent on traditional media, these third-party texts are now available easily to the public. Online formats, which allow individuals to express their opinions either alone or within a group form now a considerable amount of the product- or company-related information available. This has led to the fear of companies of losing reputation and customers because of this uncontrolled information. However, very little investigation has gone into the usage of these sources by consumers when searching for product information online and therefore tried to justify this fear.
This lack of research is addressed by the present study. It explores search strategies of consumers and their decisions for certain online sources. Especially the decision for either corporate or non-corporate sources has been in the focus. The research builds on variables, which have been considered by other researcher as influential for internet behaviour. The conceptual framework outlines this background and discusses research, which has been conducted in related areas.
In the centre of attention is the European perspective. However, because of time and financial constraints primary research has been limited to two countries.
Six focus group interviews have been conducted in Germany and Italy, followed by 40 qualitative e-mail interviews in both countries. The findings of the research led to the conclusion that the internet is not used in such an active way as it could and as many researchers suggested. Consumers mostly feel limited by time or interest. Especially the high amount of information available online has been found deterrent. Furthermore, it turned out that users are sceptical towards individual information and therefore prefer official sources or sources where a high number of opinions are provided. However, it has been concluded that the corporate web site is no longer the only source for consumers and that companies are forced to an honest communication strategy since people are aware of other information sources.
Table of Contents
1. Background
1.1 Professional Situation – Why this study is needed
1.2 A Gap in the Research
1.3 The Decision for Italy and Germany as Research Population
1.4 Research Aim
1.5 Leading Questions
2. Conceptual Framework
2.1 Consumer Online Behaviour – How do they find information?
2.1.1 Internet Activities and Demographics
2.1.1 Consumer Choice of the Internet as Information Source
2.1.3 Online Information Searching Behaviour
2.1.4 Use of third-party online product information
2.1.5 Information Overload
2.2 Online Credibility
2.3 Importance of the Corporate Web Site
2.4 The Focus of the Project
3. Methodology
3.1 Background for Research
3.2 The Research Process
3.3 The Research Philosophy and Rationale
3.4 The Nature of the Study
3.5 Qualitative Research Methods
3.5.1 Focus Group Interviews
3.5.2 Electronic Interviews
3.6 Population
3.7 Target Sample
3.8 Data Analysis Process
3.9 Limitations
3.10 Problems ocurred during the Research
3.11 Validity
3.12 Reliability
4. Findings
4.1 To find out what importance the Internet has for consumers in the context of product information search.
4.1.1 Internet Experience is generally high
4.1.2 Dependence on the Internet as an Information Source
4.1.3 User show Trust into the Internet but doubt at the same time
4.1.4 Layout and Source indicate Credibility
4.1.5 Official Sources are important – Single Opinions are not credible
4.1.6 Majority Opinion counts
4.2 To identify Search Patterns consumers use when they intend to find product or Company Information on the Internet.
4.2.1 “Google” is the new gatekeeper
4.2.2 Only the first pages count
4.2.3 WOM as source for Internet Addresses
4.3.4 Corporate Pages Use depends on Education and Experience
4.2.5 Negative Information Search only in Crisis Time
4.2.6 “Favourites” are more important for experienced Users
4.3 To discover what factors influence consumer decision for certain online sources
4.3.1 Scepticism towards corporate information
4.3.2 Corporate Web Sites for technical facts
4.3.3 Contradiction: Corporate web sites are seen as visiting card,
4.3.4 Experiences of Fellow Customers work as Incentive
4.3.5 Price and Functionality of Products are influential Factors
4.3.6 No Internet for Services based n Trust
4.3.7 Communication counts
4.3.8 No contribution to unofficial Pages
4.3.9 Consumers are realistic about companies and third parties
4.4 Chapter Conclusion
5. Recommendations
5.1 Further Research
5.2 Marketing Communications
Research Objectives and Focus
This study aims to explore the role of the Internet in consumer product information searches, specifically investigating how search strategies are developed and how consumers evaluate different online sources, including both corporate and non-corporate information. The research focuses on the European context, specifically Germany and Italy, to address the research question of how likely consumers are to consider non-corporate information when searching for products.
- Analysis of consumer online search strategies and habits.
- Evaluation of credibility perceptions regarding corporate versus third-party online sources.
- Investigation of the impact of demographic factors like education and experience on internet usage.
- Assessment of the importance of search engines as gatekeepers in information retrieval.
- Exploration of the influence of word-of-mouth and user forums on product perception.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Professional Situation – Why this study is needed
The Internet plays an important role in today’s daily life and business. An often-quoted Internet fact is that it took the radio 38 years to reach an audience of 50 millions, television needed 13 years, and the Internet just two-and-a half years (Bunting, Lipski, 2000). What started as a military project (Ayres and Williams, 2003) and was later an information and communication network for academics (Mowery and Simcoe, 2001) has now become an every-day medium for a growing number of people. The development of easy-to-navigate web browsers has been one important step, which enabled the Internet to become a steadily growing information source (Kaye and Medoff, 2001, Shackleford, Hölscher and Strube, 2000, Thompson and James, 1999).
Prior to the Internet, marketers generally were able to provide or influence much of the information about their product for the media (Ward and Ostrom, 2003). On the other hand, the possibilities of consumers to get information about products or companies were restricted (e.g. advertising, brochures, visits in shops or reviews in consumer magazines). This was mainly caused by an unbalanced power distribution. Due to the gatekeeper function of journalists, the voice of industry had more chance to be heard and get media coverage (McLeod, 2000). This led to corporate communication as a merely one-way activity (De Bussy, Watson, Pitt and Ewing, 2000).
The Internet has changed this situation as it enabled word-of-mouth like information in the mass media environment (Ward, Ostrom, 2003, Dellarocas, 2003).
Summary of Chapters
1. Background: This chapter highlights the rising importance of the Internet as a medium for both personal and corporate communication, establishing the need to understand how this shift impacts product information search.
2. Conceptual Framework: This section outlines the academic theories concerning consumer online behaviour, online credibility, and the corporate website's role, providing a theoretical foundation for interpreting research findings.
3. Methodology: This chapter describes the qualitative approach, combining focus group interviews in Germany and Italy with electronic interviews to capture consumer perspectives on internet searching.
4. Findings: This chapter presents and discusses the results from the primary research, covering search patterns, the gatekeeper role of search engines, and consumer attitudes towards credibility and corporate information.
5. Recommendations: This concluding section offers strategic advice for marketers and suggestions for future academic research based on the study's primary findings.
Keywords
Internet, Consumer Behaviour, Search Strategies, Online Credibility, Corporate Websites, Non-Corporate Sources, Information Overload, Word-of-Mouth, Search Engines, Google, Product Information, Digital Literacy, Marketing Communications, Qualitative Research, Online Reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores the role of the Internet in product information searches, focusing on how consumers navigate different online sources and determine their credibility.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
Key themes include consumer searching behaviour, the influence of search engines, the credibility gap between corporate and unofficial sources, and the impact of information overload.
What is the main research objective?
The goal is to understand how consumers perceive the Internet as an information tool and to identify the factors that influence their decision-making when accessing corporate or non-corporate online sources.
Which methodology was chosen for this study?
The study employs a qualitative, multi-method approach using focus group interviews and standardized open-ended electronic interviews to gather in-depth user perspectives.
What topics does the main body of the work cover?
The main body examines search patterns, the "gatekeeper" effect of platforms like Google, the perceived differences in trustworthiness between official company sites and user-generated forums, and the effect of consumer demographics on search behaviour.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Essential keywords include Internet behaviour, product information search, online credibility, non-corporate sources, and consumer-to-consumer communication.
Why did the author choose Germany and Italy for the population sample?
These countries were chosen as exemplary European markets with high internet user counts to provide insights that go beyond the predominantly American-centric research existing at the time.
What role does the corporate website play according to the respondents?
Consumers generally view corporate websites as important "visiting cards" for basic information, but often turn to third-party sources when seeking unbiased reviews or in-depth opinions.
- Quote paper
- Judith Hoffmann (Author), 2005, Consumers' perceptiion of the internet as a product information tool - An Exploratory Study on Online Searching Behaviour and Source Evaluation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/49781
