e information search with an internal search first as students may have preferences on what they like in terms of style and colour of the formal clothing. The internal search may also base on their previous personal experiences in purchasing of the formal clothing. They will recall the things they know about formal clothing like where to buy them from, the price range for each shops etc. After the internal information being sought, they will then carry on to external search. The amount of external information search is different for individuals. Students are more likely to ask their reference groups opinions first such as their friends and family. And they are more likely to visit more stores for formal clothing compared to small number of stores visited for health supplements. That is because the perceived risk associated with formal clothing is high. Formal clothing is considered quite a high price product for students. Therefore they need to consider the factors such social and psychological risk like will this formal clothing make them look good? Financial risk like if they spend the money on the expensive formal clothing then they will have to give up on some other things they would also like to buy. With many stores offering formal clothing, it is quite hard when it comes to a decision for many students. As the greater the number of alternative stores, the more external search is more likely needed. Price is also a major factor in external search for students. Students are more sensitive to price and that is because they have limited income sources. Therefore external search to compare the prices for formal clothing between the stores is likely to be more intensive than products like health supplements. The gender of the shopper is also another factor affecting information search. It is said that females tend to engage in more external search than male does. And this is true in the case of formal clothing interview...
