Department of Consumer and Family Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University
Corresponding Author:
Kee-Ok Kim ,Tel: +82-2-760-0510, Fax: +82-2-760-0510, Email: kokim@skku.edu
Received: July 18, 2012; Revised: July 18, 2012 Accepted: August 24, 2012.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to measure consumer information competency, which indicates consumers’ general ability to search and utilize information. The model of this study was constructed in order to identify how consumer information competency influences the efficiency and the effectiveness of external information search. The model was verified with related prior knowledge as a moderator variable in order to understand holistic consumer information search activity. The result of the study is as follows. First, the concept of consumer information competency was constructed with four sub-abilities: define, search, extract, and synthesis & use. The ability of define was the highest, as opposed to the ability of extract, which was the lowest. Second, consumer information competency was lower for women as well as for low family income. The sub-abilities of search and synthesis & use were lower for aging consumers. Third, consumer information competency has positive effects on information search efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, the efficiency influences the effectiveness positively. Fourth, prior knowledge moderates the effect of consumer information competency to the efficiency. Only for consumers with high knowledge the efficiency has the effect of mediating between consumer information competency and the effectiveness.
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