Abstract
Lower search costs are one of the major benefits of on-line shopping. In the past, when search costs were relatively high, consumers relied on extrinsic cues like brand and price. The lowering of search costs with the advent of the Internet has changed the way consumers use external cues. In addition, the emergence of the on-line "infomediary" has spawned complex interactions among infomediary reputation, manufacturer brand, and retailer brand. This paper shows the main effects of these factors and explores two-way interaction effects. It demonstrates that a well-known on-line retailer brand increases purchase intention for a weak manufacturer brand more than for a strong one, and by contrast, that a reputable infomediary increases purchase intention for a strong manufacturer brand more than for a weak one.