The scale assesses how knowledgeable a shopper believes they are about a product category before engaging with a salesperson, capturing perceived expertise walking into a purchase conversation.
Likely 7-point Likert (exact anchors not stated in source)
Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.
Hochstein et al. (2021), who refer to the construct as information scarcity, appear to have created this scale themselves; used across three studies with students reading about a hypothetical sales conversation. Reliability was excellent (α = .92–.95). Validity wasn't formally discussed, though successful use as a manipulation check across all three studies offers some indirect support. Item wording requires naming the product category and store type, and item 2 needs a phrase establishing timing (the original study used 'At the start of this meeting...').
Hochstein, Bryan, Willy Bolander, Brett Christenson, Alexander B. Pratt, and Kristy Reynolds (2021), "An Investigation of Consumer Subjective Knowledge in Frontline Interactions," Journal of Retailing, 97 (3), 336-346.
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