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Search modality effects: merely changing product search modality alters purchase intentions

  • Original Empirical Research
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Abstract

Search modality is becoming increasingly important for Internet platforms and e-commerce businesses. Consumers can perform product searches on the Internet by typing their search queries (typed search modality) or by speaking them (voice search modality). Given the variation and the managerial ease of selecting different search modalities to adopt, we investigate the consequences of search modalities on consumers’ mindsets and purchase intentions. Six studies, including an Implicit Association Test and an incentive-compatible field experiment, show that typed search modality (vs. voice search modality) led to higher purchase intentions and behavior. This results from learned responses where typing is nonconsciously associated with taking action, and vocalization is nonconsciously associated with information gathering and deliberation. Thus, consumers performing a typed search are more likely to be in an action-oriented mindset, whereas consumers performing a voice search are more likely to be in a deliberative mindset. Our research carries implications for digital technologies.

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Notes

  1. Study pre-registration available at: https://osf.io/f2uxq/?view_only=c0760a51792b4f4ea21dff796c988140

  2. Study pre-registration available at: https://osf.io/kxjfq/?view_only=8f297ffb189a40dcb7d5f10bd2a442e4

  3. Study pre-registration available at: https://osf.io/z8qax/?view_only=6ab346c563e4449082031715e5e94b59

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the guest editor and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback and insightful suggestions. The authors would further like to thank University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce for partially supporting this project, and Sandi Htel Wah Naing for her research assistance. Finally, the first author is thankful to Chris Janiszewski for his guidance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, 1 West University Boulevard, Brownsville, TX, 78520, USA

    Dan King

  2. University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, 126/1 Dindaeng, Vibhavadee-Rangsit Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Sumitra Auschaitrakul

  3. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, USA

    Chia-Wei Joy Lin

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  1. Dan King
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Correspondence to Sumitra Auschaitrakul.

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Appendix 1

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Fig. 5
figure 5

Examples of search modalities in the marketplace. Note. When browsing on a Google website, a consumer can perform a search either by entering characters on the search bar using keyboards (typed search modality) or by speaking into the device using a microphone feature (voice search modality). Similarly, a consumer can perform either a typed search or a voice search on the Amazon website

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King, D., Auschaitrakul, S. & Lin, CW.J. Search modality effects: merely changing product search modality alters purchase intentions. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 50, 1236–1256 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00820-z

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