Page 44 - Decoding Decisions ~ Making sense of the messy middle

44 CHAPTER 3 INVESTIGATING THE MESSY MIDDLE

The majority of searches containing “discount code” also contain the name
of a retailer. For example, of the top 15 related queries for these terms in the
UK in 2019, 11 (in red) contained the name of a retailer (figure 18).

Figure 18
discount code

Top 15 queries related to ‘discount code’

asos discount code, argos discount code, amazon discount
code, jd discount code, debenhams discount code, boots
discount code, boohoo discount code, currys discount
code, ebay discount code, john lewis discount code, next
discount code, just eat discount code, tui discount code,
travelodge discount code, nike discount code

The presence of a named retailer in these searches implies that little

exploration is happening here, and that the evaluative phase may be nearing
an end too. As such, these modifiers place us as close as search gets to the
moment of purchase.

Modifying the messy middle

As these examples show, our relationship with the things we search for is
complex and mutable. But the search modifiers people use are a rich source
of insight into how our thinking and behaviour have evolved over time, and
can even offer clues about the underlying cognitive biases at work. In the
next chapter, we’ll take some of these insights and attempt to quantify the
impact that specific biases can have on decision-making.

Data source: Top 15 queries related to “discount code”, Google Trends, United Kingdom, 2019, All categories, Web Search