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Information may be stored in the memory as a result of an earlier search process, for example, of the assessment of a newly bought brand immediately after purchase. Alternatively information may be stored in the memory as a result of a passive acquisition process-an advertisement in television or in the newspaper might have been casually skimmed.
The way consumer get brand information
Two relevant factors which influence the degree to which consumers search their memory are the amount of stored information and its suitability for the particular problem. In a study amongst car purchasers, those repeatedly buying the same brand of car over time undertook less external search than those who had built up a similar history in terms of the number of cars bought, but who had switched between brands of cars. Repeatedly buying the same brand of car increased the quantity of suitable information in the memory and limited the need for external search.
If there is insufficient information in our memory and if the purchase is thought to warrant it, external search is undertaken. Researchers have shown that external search is a relatively limited activity, although there are variations between different groups of consumers. Numerous other instances have been reported of consumers undertaking limited external search for expensive brand purchases in such product fields as financial services, housing, furniture and clothing.
And not surprisingly, for low cost, low risk items like groceries, external search activity is also restricted. There is no doubt that due to the low level of involvement that these brands engender, far more reliance is placed on memory. For example, when we go shopping for washing powders, we simplify purchase by considering only one or two brands and three to five brand attributes.
