Search costs and adaptive consumers: Short time delays do not affect choice quality

• The effect of delayed display of information on consumer choice is analysed.
• High time delays affected search patterns and reduced the processed information.
• Low time delays induced inefficient over-searching.
• Low time delays did not result in better choices.
• The results are robust to linear and lexicographic utility functions.

Using online price comparison and shopping platforms makes experiencing slow connections, lags and waiting times for information an unfortunate reality. However, little attention has been paid to analyzing the effects of such delayed display of information on product choice behavior. This article explores the effect of time delays in a multi-attribute choice laboratory experiment by not providing information immediately when requested but after short time delays. Increasing these waiting times reduced the amount of information looked-up but did not affect choice quality. Higher time delays made decision-makers use more deliberate search processes, whereas low time delays induced inefficient over-searching.