A Comprehensive Typology of Prepurchase, External Information Searchers
本文基于对以往购前信息搜寻模式实证文献的全面回顾，首次提出一个涵盖所有搜寻者类型的综合超级类型学，并用理论框架解释这些类型，为每种类型提出可检验的理论命题。
ABSTRACT Various studies in the information search literature in the past have uncovered differing sets of prepurchase external‐information search patterns exhibited by individuals. However, across all these studies there has been little consistency not only in these reported patterns, but also in the terminology used to describe each of them. This paper seeks to address this major gap in the literature. Based on an exhaustive review of the prior empirical literature on prepurchase information search patterns, for the first time in the literature, a comprehensive supertypology is proposed in this paper that accounts for all the searcher types reported in this prior literature. Further, also for the first time in the literature, this paper seeks to explain these searcher types using an accepted theoretical framework. As must be pointed out, all of the prior searcher types uncovered (and reviewed in this paper) were empirically driven and devoid of theory. In this paper, also for the first time in the literature, testable, theory‐based propositions are developed for each searcher type in the proposed typology. Finally, this paper concludes with a discussion as to why this typology is needed and how it could be used by practitioners and theoreticians in marketing.