1. Classifying products
Search, experience, or credence
Prepared by J. Scott Armstrong (details on him at jscottarmstrong.com).
Please inform Scott about errors and also make suggestions (armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu)
Scott has taken these slides from adprin.com, a site that he founded. That site contains interactive versions of these
slides, along with linked references, videos, and webcasts, all in PPT and PPTX format that you can download.

2. Classifying products as search,
experience, or credence
• Search: Can check features prior to purchase
• Experience: Evaluate only after use
• Credence: Cannot be properly evaluated even
after use.
Provide examples of each
Automobiles are ___________
University educations are _____________
Go to the next slide for the answers
Adapted from AdPrin.com

3. Examples of each:
Search – checking that a car has four doors
Experience – the Bose Wave radio
Credence - vitamins
Automobiles are experience
University educations are credence
For more information, see AdPrin.com
Adapted from AdPrin.com

4. Based on this exercise, write a small application step for
yourself, and set a deadline, preferably within one week. If you
are working with someone else, share your application plan and
the results of your application.
• For example, before you make purchases mentally note what
kind of product you are purchasing. If it is an experience
product, look at customer reviews. If it is a credence
product, ask an expert about it.
Adapted from AdPrin.com