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Do search terms matter for online consumers? The interplay between search engine query specification and topical organization

Published: 01 November 2007 Publication History

Abstract

The Internet has become the primary source of information for a large number of consumers. Thus, search engines as the mediators between consumers and online information is an increasingly important topic of research. The present study contributes specifically to the research in consumer search and decision-making by investigating how a search engine's support for topical organization of search results can help improve search performance. Search term formulation is an integral part of the online search process that consumers conduct. Past research shows that the actual search terms used in search queries do matter for improving search performance and also that users often mis-specify search terms, thereby reducing the efficacy of their online search and decision-making. The results of our experimental study offer evidence that topical organization using clustering support, which is provided by some search engines, helps increase relevance and usefulness of search results. The strongest performance improvements were achieved when clustering support was used in combination with terms that were under-specified.

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  • (2016)Examining task relationships in multitasking consumer search sessionsProceedings of the 79th ASIS&T Annual Meeting: Creating Knowledge, Enhancing Lives through Information & Technology10.5555/3017447.3017549(1-5)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2016
  • (2016)Examining task relationships in multitasking consumer search sessionsProceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology10.1002/pra2.2016.1450530110253:1(1-5)Online publication date: 27-Dec-2016
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Information

Published In

cover image Decision Support Systems
Decision Support Systems  Volume 44, Issue 1
November, 2007
368 pages

Publisher

Elsevier Science Publishers B. V.

Netherlands

Publication History

Published: 01 November 2007

Author Tags

  1. Clustering
  2. Consumer decision-making
  3. Consumer search
  4. Electronic commerce
  5. Online shopping
  6. Query formulation
  7. Search engines
  8. Search strategies

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View all
  • (2023)An experimental study on re-ranking web shop search results using semantic segmentation of user profilesElectronic Commerce Research and Applications10.1016/j.elerap.2023.10131062:COnline publication date: 1-Nov-2023
  • (2016)Examining task relationships in multitasking consumer search sessionsProceedings of the 79th ASIS&T Annual Meeting: Creating Knowledge, Enhancing Lives through Information & Technology10.5555/3017447.3017549(1-5)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2016
  • (2016)Examining task relationships in multitasking consumer search sessionsProceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology10.1002/pra2.2016.1450530110253:1(1-5)Online publication date: 27-Dec-2016
  • (2015)Will video be the next generation of e-commerce product reviews? Presentation format and the role of product typeDecision Support Systems10.1016/j.dss.2015.03.00173:C(85-96)Online publication date: 1-May-2015
  • (2015)Internet information triangulationJournal of the Association for Information Science and Technology10.1002/asi.2320366:4(684-701)Online publication date: 1-Apr-2015
  • (2012)Dynamic search engine competition with a knowledge-sharing serviceDecision Support Systems10.1016/j.dss.2011.10.00252:2(427-437)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2012

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