Learning and using electronic information products and services: A field study

Because of its implications for revenues, marketers of Electronic Information Products and Services (EIPS) are interested in increasing usage of their offering. In this research we investigate how structuring the initial-learning experience can impact subsequent usage. The initial learning experience can be structured by varying the amount of process-based or content-based knowledge that consumers acquire during the initial learning phase. A field experiment where actual usage of a complex, Web-based EIPS was monitored is described. Results show that both content-based and process-based learning are important, though emphasizing either to the virtual exclusion of the other during the initial learning experience may be deleterious for usage.