Ed,
I am in JQ's camp AND your camp, but, here is where we differ.
All shopping is NOT the same because products are not the same.
Compare a Home Theater vs replacement wiper blades.
We have a Specialty product vs a commodity product. WHere does the product fit? Is it a "Need or a Want" product?
I need wiper blades...
I WANT a kick ass home theater system
"Want" shoppers are driven by emotion.
"Need" Shoppers are conquered by price
To continue my Example: A Flight to MCO vs Your Next Car.
MCO flyer hits "price discovery" site, enters info and finds best fit. Price dominates query. Very linear.
Car buyer hits "price discovery" site, enters info and finds best fit, then lets it sit and thinks about it. Yes, price is critical, but, unlike airline booking sites, in our biz, there are a million unanswered questions that will never be answered at AutoTrader/Cars/etc...
From the shoppers perspective, I say the process of buying a car is more like picking an exotic vacation destination than the best price to MCO. IN THAT SAME VEIN, the car shopper spends hours and hours shopping on the internet, they PASS a point where they stop learning and begin to get themselves all knotted up and they finally HIT THE WALL... "Enough of this already!!" and off they goto the dealership.
"Give me Mr. Upslope."
