A Study on Consumer Information Search Strategies for Outbound Tourist Products at the Pre-purchase Stage

• Main Authors: Li-Hsien Lin, 林琍羨
• Other Authors: Sz-Reng Chen
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/94b9qn

碩士 === 世新大學 === 觀光學系碩士班 === 90 === Abstract Since number of dispute cases between outbound travel products buyers and travel agents have been significantly increasing, consumers’ risk perceptions of outbound travel products are getting higher. In order to lower down such uncertainty of purchase risk, pre-purchase information search behavior is a very important step of the consumer buying decision-making process. This study employs EKB model’s information search stage as the study frame, and develops the information search behavior model by consulting Fodness and Murray’s research results (1999) and the other related literatures to proceed the research. The survey populations are the members of “Travel Information Association, R.O.C”. Those members, who are 20 years old and above, living in Taipei metropolitan area, and buyers of outbound travel products, are selected and mailed an internet e-mail questionnaire respectively. In one-month period, five hundred questionnaires are distributed, and 388 valid questionnaires are obtained and accounted for a 77.7% response rate. Besides Descriptive Statistic Analysis of consumer’s socioeconomic characteristics, travel patterns, nature of decision-making, perceptions of risks, and information search strategies are performed, Cluster Analysis is utilized to segment respondents into a number of significantly different clusters. Canonical Correlation Analysis is used to examine the relationships among various factors of the nature of decision-making, perceptions of risk, and the information search strategies. The major findings of the study are as followings. Firstly, among twelve information sources, opinions of friends and relatives with outbound travel product purchasing experiences is the most important source, and the major web sites and travel web sites is the sources most frequently used and most helpful for buying decision-making. Secondly, using the efforts for information search and the helpfulness of information collected as the segmenting criteria, five significantly different clusters are identified, and they are named as: 1.the low effort for information search and low degree of helpfulness of information collected cluster. 2.the medium effort for information search and medium degree of helpfulness of information collected cluster, 3.the highest effort for information search and highest degree of helpfulness of information collected cluster, 4.the lowest effort for information search and lowest degree of helpfulness of information collected cluster, and, 5.the high effort for information search and high degree of helpfulness of information collected cluster. Thirdly, in terms of decision-making nature, the five clusters are significantly different in the ability collecting information and the perception of time; in terms of perceptions of risks, the five clusters are significantly different in performance risk, psychological risk, uncertainly of travel schedule knowledge, uncertainly of discount knowledge, and uncertainly of brand choice. The last major findings are, according to the Canonical Correlation Analysis results, if buyers have higher ability of collecting information, then they will collect more business but non-interpersonal information which are most helpful to their buying decision-makings; in terms of decision-making nature, if buyers have lower uncertainty of purchase knowledge, then business but non- interpersonal information are least collected and helpful to their buying decision-makings; if buyers have higher uncertainty of purchase choices, then business but non-interpersonal information are most collected and helpful to their buying decision makings; if first-time buyers of outbound travel products have lower ability of collecting information, then business but non-interpersonal information are least helpful to their buying decision-makings.