Patterns of Interpersonal Information Seeking for the Purchase of a Symbolic Product
研究消费者在购买象征性产品（如时尚商品）时的人际信息搜寻模式，通过调查和聚类分析发现不同搜寻模式与社会经济群体相关，强调理解搜寻动机和购买风险的重要性。
The author extends the research on consumer prepurchase information seeking to a product which is essentially socially symbolic rather than utilitarian. A survey of the purchasers of a fashion item was undertaken, and the data subjected to a novel cluster analytic technique. Several distinct patterns of overt search were derived and related to socioeconomic segments of individuals. The author concludes that to explain consumer information seeking it is necessary to gain a better understanding of both the motives underlying search and the risks inherent in any purchase.