Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Awareness
Research
Decision
Reasonable
Solution
Reasonable
Solution
Reasonable
Solution
Purchase
Figure 5.4. The buying-funnel process for online shopping with alternate paths to purchase.
making a purchase. However, if this consumer encounters a possible solution that
generally fits the parameters of what they are seeking, they will take the path of least
effort and just make the purchase.
As the cost increases, the more effort they are willing to expend in researching the
item. With their searching need not well articulated, these searchers might be more
open to impulse buying, which leads to increased purchasing.
Therefore, for many products and services, the hierarchical staged buying fun-
nel is not an appropriate model for explaining the entire online purchase process.
Although it may be an appropriate process for some products and services, each stage
of the buying funnel may lead directly to a convert, based on individual factors of the
consumer and product or service (see
Figure 5.4
).
Multiple paths to purchase from any stage of the buying funnel are an example of
the compressing of the buying funnel, known as the hierarchy of effects [
37
] in this
context, due to the Web's enabling capabilities.
