The Internet Marvel is that it moves at the speed of digital, but displayed content is STATIC & UNCHANGEABLE such as that found on:
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Banners
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Billboards
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Flyers
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Circulars
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Weekly ads
It is ABOUT TIME the internet was capable of displaying Real Relevant Content such as that found on:
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LED billboards
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Marquees
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Chalkboards
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Bulletin boards
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Sidewalk signs
When consumers make buying decisions, search cost plays a key role that can drive the overall price of a product up or down. As an associated transaction cost, obfuscation of the search process may be leveraged in order to engage higher consumer valuations’— creating an implicit cost of returning to a store in order to deter further search.
Deliberate obfuscation is an extremely common sales tactic that can be very difficult to detect even in the real world. For instance, a salesperson may avoid answering the total price of a product by stepping a prospective buyer gradually through features & benefits or even the pitfalls of competing products. Eventually, the salesperson may indicate a base price, then begin to thoroughly discuss the options available and then those price points and then discuss competitor product shortfalls again and finally, warranty or special add-on prices.
The longer we’re engaged & the bigger the hassle, the greater the imposition- the more likely we just want to be done with the whole ordeal. Increased Search Costs intrinsic association with the expense of Time & Effort are likely to garner increased product prices, because shoppers would rather pay a bit more than go through another tedious sales pitch about a product they feel they have paid a higher Search Cost for.
Time is Money
The Internet as a Digital platform for commerce, offers the promise that Consumer / Shopper Search Costs are likely to be very low, because of the ease of access to ‘unbiased’, ‘infinite sources’ of ‘optimized’ information, but indeed- to the contrary- impose overwhelming expenses.
Search Cost is readily apparent & expectedly higher in the Non- Digital, Real World- where consumers have to search out information by Calling each and every suspected vendor, Driving to each suspected vendors location, Consulting friends or family or even Creating flyers or Making signs, etc. to learn & process sought after information. Obfuscation strategies are especially NON- APPARENT in an online commerce environment because we, all of us- are comparing our Search Expenses to that of the Non- Digital, Real World. The fact that the ‘Digital Internet’ eCommerce ecosystem is almost entirely contrived to follow Real World Analogous Marketing tactics and techniques, exemplifies just how ‘non- apparent’ web obfuscation is.
Search Engines are designed to maximize clicks to highest bidder advertisers