Optimum Stimulation Level

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Optimum stimulation level is a relatively new concept that can affect consumer behavior. It is also regarded as a personal characteristic. Within the consumer behavior literature, the optimum stimulation level (OSL) construct is acknowledged as another relatively stable personality trait that relates to an individual's need for stimulation. Individuals with higher OSLs have been found to engage in exploratory behaviors to a greater extent than people with lower OSLs (Baumgartner and Steenkamp, 1992). Thus OSL is widely accepted as a major determinant of consumer behaviors with strong exploratory elements, for example McAlister and Pessemier (1982) incorporate OSL into their model of variety seeking behavior. Similarly, Price and Ridgway (1982) related OSL to "Use Innovativeness", "Vicarious Exploration", and "Purchase Exploration". In addition, Hoffman and Novak (1996b) found that a high OSL led to greater exploratory behavior on the Web. This is expected because the Web is a consumer-driven information medium. The proposed model therefore includes OSL as an individual behavioral characteristic, since it is anticipated that individuals with a low OSL will feel less comfortable with new information and situations, and consequently may search less than individuals with a higher measured OSL, and vice versa. Baumgartner and Steenkamp (1996) have produced two reliable scales (α=0.84) which distinguish between Exploratory Information-Seeking (EIS) and Exploratory Acquisition of Products (EAP), thereby drawing a valuable distinction between information acquisition and actual purchase innovativeness. It is suggested that the Baumgartner and Steenkamp (1996) EIS scale be used to operationalize the OSL variable in the model.

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