The moderating effects of product-related and market-related knowledge on consumers' utilization of product information in pre- and post-trial product evaluations. (Volumes I and II)
Li, Wai-Kwan
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/21473
Description
Title
The moderating effects of product-related and market-related knowledge on consumers' utilization of product information in pre- and post-trial product evaluations. (Volumes I and II)
Author(s)
Li, Wai-Kwan
Issue Date
1994
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Monroe, Kent B.
Department of Study
Business Administration
Discipline
Business Administration
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Business Administration, Marketing
Language
eng
Abstract
This dissertation investigated two issues about consumers' information utilization when evaluating products: What types of product information were utilized in pre- and post-trial product evaluations by consumers of different knowledge levels, and why these types of information were utilized.
A conceptual model was proposed by integrating the economics of information theory, the accessibility-diagnosticity model of information utilization, and effects of product knowledge. The model argues that information which is used by consumers must be (a) available, (b) accessible, (c) diagnostic, and (d) comprehensible. An in-depth interview study and three experiments were conducted to test the model proposed.
The results of study 1 indicate that intrinsic- and extrinsic-search attributes were used most frequently at the pre-trial stage. However, intrinsic-experience attributes were used most frequently at the post-trial stage.
The results of study 2 suggest that, at the pre-trial stage, intrinsic-search attribute information was more likely to be utilized by consumers with high product-related knowledge, when evaluating a product (VCR). This difference was not observed at the post-trial stage.
The results of study 3 suggest that, at both pre- and post-trial stages, extrinsic-search attribute information was more likely to be utilized by consumers with high market-related knowledge.
The results of study 4 suggest that the utilization of described intrinsic-experience attribute information was not influenced by consumers' product-related knowledge, at both pre- and post-trial stages. However, at the post-trial stage, consumers with high product-related knowledge were more likely to use the experienced intrinsic-experience attribute information to evaluate a product, when they received favorable described information.
To conclude, while search attribute information was more likely to be utilized for product evaluations at the pre-trial stage, experiential information was more likely to be utilized at the post-trial stage. Furthermore, intrinsic-search and intrinsic-experience attribute information was more likely to be used by consumers with high product-related knowledge, whereas extrinsic-search attribute information was more likely to be utilized by consumers with high market-related knowledge. These findings are consistent with the model proposed.
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