Goal attainment on long tail web sites: An information foraging approach

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe long tail has attracted substantial theoretical as well as practical interest, yet there have been few empirical studies that have explicitly examined the factors that drive online conversions at these sites. This research tests several hypotheses derived from Information Foraging Theory (IFT) that pertain to goal achievement on long tail Web sites. IFT introduced concepts of information patches and information scent to model information seeking behavior of individuals, but has mostly been tested in production rule environments where the theory is used to simulate user behavior. Testing IFT-driven hypotheses on real data required learning information patches and scents using an inductive approach and in this paper we adapt existing algorithms for these discovery tasks. Our results based on clickstream data from forty-seven small business Web sites show both the existence of valuable information patches and information scent trails as well as their importance in explaining conversion on these sites. The majority of the hypotheses were supported and we discuss the implications of this for researchers and practitioners.

Toward a unified model of human information behavior: an equilibrium perspective

“…Built upon the optimal foraging theory from evolutionary ecology, the start state of information-foraging approach is adapted from foraging-environment paradigm (i.e. patches, cues, scent-following) (Bell, 1991; Mccart et al , 2013). According to this line of research, information foragers often locate, assess, and utilize a given patch, which is an information source or a set of “pointers” toward different information sources in this context, and then to decide when to stop foraging within this patch and try another patch.…”

A review of studies on information systems and SMEs in high ranked IS journals (2000-2014)

“…We also excluded articles which were not relevant to our focus on SME adoption/use of IS, as well as articles which studied IS use by large businesses to manage SME clients (Tsaih et al 2004) or online user activities on websites (McCart et al 2013), because these did not relate directly to SME adoption/use of IS. Additionally, we excluded 13 articles on SME software developer firms (e.g.…”

Using cues to forage for information on the Web

“…Its main focus is finding more information while expending less time and energy. IFT describes the process individuals use to evaluate when to stop searching the available resources for relevant information (McCart et al, 2013, Flavian et al, 2012.…”

“…In addition to colour and size, there are other scents that can be useful to help make decisions. McCart et al (2013) used IFT to show the existence of valuable information patches and scents to explain goal achievement on long-tail websites. The authors introduced measures to quantify users visit of information patch and scents used during search behaviours.…”