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Problem Recognition and Information Search - Internal Search: Searching for Information from Memory

8 important questions on Problem Recognition and Information Search - Internal Search: Searching for Information from Memory

After consumers recognize a problem, they move on to the next stage: internal search. What happens in this stage?

This type of information search refers to the process of recalling stored information from memory. This can be information, feelings, and past experiences.

Consumers have limited capacity or ability to process information, so consumers are likely to recall only a small subset of stored information when they engage in internal search. On what factors is the degree of internal search dependent?

This depends on their MAO. The higher, the more attempt to participate in internal search.

Also, time pressure and distractions limit internal search.

Much of the research on the role of internal search in consumer decision-making has focused on what is recalled. What are the four major types of information that is recalled with internal search?

1. Brands
2. Attributes
3. Evaluations
4. Experiences

The recall of brands is one of the four major types of information that can be recalled during internal search. Do consumers remember all available brands in a given situation?

No, they typically recall a subset of 2 to 8 brands, also known as a consideration or evoked set. This set consists of brands that are 'top-of-mind' and have high saliency.

Brands try to help consumers recall their brand by increasing stored information through heavy marketing so consumer recognize a brand when they see it.

Studies indicate that consideration sets vary in terms of their size, stability, variety and preference dispersion (the equality of preferences toward brands or products in the set). In what kind of situations are changes in the consideration set noticeable?

On more familiar occasions or locations, sets tend to be less stable, larger in size and have slightly more variety. In these situations, consumers tend to have a stronger preference for one or two items in the set.

Marketing implication:
Marketeers should enhance its products linkage with the occasion or situation familiar to consumers, to increase the chance that the product will be recalled from memory as part of a consideration set.

Brands that are recalled, are more likely to be chosen, but it is not given that recall guarantees a spot in the consideration set. What factors play a role in increasing the probability of consumers' recalling a brand and including it in the evoked set?

1. Prototypicality
2. Brand familiarity
3. Goals and usage situations
4. Brand preference (positive attitudes)
5. Retrieval cues (a strong retrieval cue increases the change of being included in the consideration set)

The recall of evaluations is easier than recall of attributes. Why is that?

Memory for specific details decay rapidly (attributes).

With recall of evaluations, some consumers engage in online processing: they actively evaluate a brand as they view an ad for it. Afterwards, the evaluation is more likely to be remembered than the specific information that led to the processing.

Internal search is not objective, as we all have processing biases. What are important ones for marketing?

1. Confimation bias: related to the concept of selective perception - we see what we want to see - and occurs because we strive to maintain consistency in our views. Making our judgement or decision more positive than it should be.
2. Inhibition: The recall of one attribute inhibiting the recall of another --> associated with limitations in consumers processing capacity
3. Mood: consumers are more likely to recall information that match their mood --> stimulating positive moods can enhance the recall of positive attribute information.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Consumer Behavior | 9780357721292 | Wayne D Hoyer, et al

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Problem Recognition and Information Search - Internal Search: Searching for Information from Memory

8 important questions on Problem Recognition and Information Search - Internal Search: Searching for Information from Memory

After consumers recognize a problem, they move on to the next stage: internal search. What happens in this stage?

Consumers have limited capacity or ability to process information, so consumers are likely to recall only a small subset of stored information when they engage in internal search. On what factors is the degree of internal search dependent?

Much of the research on the role of internal search in consumer decision-making has focused on what is recalled. What are the four major types of information that is recalled with internal search?

The recall of brands is one of the four major types of information that can be recalled during internal search. Do consumers remember all available brands in a given situation?

Studies indicate that consideration sets vary in terms of their size, stability, variety and preference dispersion (the equality of preferences toward brands or products in the set). In what kind of situations are changes in the consideration set noticeable?

Brands that are recalled, are more likely to be chosen, but it is not given that recall guarantees a spot in the consideration set. What factors play a role in increasing the probability of consumers' recalling a brand and including it in the evoked set?

The recall of evaluations is easier than recall of attributes. Why is that?

Internal search is not objective, as we all have processing biases. What are important ones for marketing?

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