Question

Nathan is purchasing a new computer, so he asks his friends and family for help in selecting one. He also has searched the Internet and visited the Dell, Gateway, and Apple websites and has consulted Consumer Reports. Nathan is conducting which type of information search?

Answer 1

Answer:

External search

Explanation:

In marketing, the term external search is used to talk about the search a person does when he/she has no knowledge about a product (the product he/she is looking to buy) and therefore looks for information from friends or family (who might know more about the product), the internet (like forums about the product and buyers) and also from marketing sources (the brands or sales persons) in order to gain information and later make an informed decision.

In this example, Nathan wants a new computer and asks his friend and his family, searches the internet and visits Dell, Gateway and Apple websites. We can see that Nathan has done the three kind of external searches: friends and family, internet and marketing sources. Therefore, Nathan is conducting an external search information.