Search or Experience Products: an Empirical Investigation of Services, Durable and Non-Durable Goods

The purpose of this article is to propose a new measurement scale of search and experience characteristics based upon a new definition for search and experience products. The author comes up with a new definition for search and experience products based on concepts such as determinant attributes, either intrinsic or extrinsic, revealed or hidden. The constructed scale is used to classify 52 product categories ranging from durable and non-durable goods to services. The results confirm to some extend the validity of the measurement tool. New insight on the service category is also emphasized. The implications in term of advertising strategy are then discussed.