Uncertainty Reduction Strategies on Share in Jar Skincare’s Purchase Intention

Share-in-jar skincare products come up with a relatively high level of uncertainty as sales are commonly only made online, thus making it impossible for consumers to ascertain the product’s quality and suitability. Indonesians, on the other hand, are said to have a low uncertainty avoidance, which tends to be more tolerant of uncertainty and is supposed to be less active in seeking information to reduce uncertainty. This study aims to analyse the effect of uncertainty reduction strategies on the purchase intention of share-in-jar skincare products on marketplaces and social networking sites (SNS) in Indonesia. This study used an explanatory quantitative approach with a survey method. It involved 395 Indonesian consumers who had searched for information about share-in-jar skincare products through marketplaces or SNS. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that Indonesian consumers had a low level of uncertainty avoidance but actively sought information before purchasing products. The passive, active


INTRODUCTION
Share-in-jar skincare, as a newly emerging beauty product in the cosmetic world, has its pros and cons.Despite its more affordable price and economical function for first-time consumers who would like to try the product due to its small packaging, this product is basically repackaged by a reseller outside the company, which makes it impossible to ensure the product quality.Apart from this fact, there has been an increasingly high purchase intention among Indonesians for this type of beauty product.This trend can be seen from the dozens or even tens of thousands of followers of SNS of online stores that sell this product on marketplaces.Interestingly, this product is commonly only sold online through online marketplaces and SNS (Sende & Yunianto, 2020).Based on these characteristics, this share-in-jar skincare can be categorized as a highly uncertain product.The notion of uncertainty reduction theory can be used to discuss consumer behavior as it relates to product uncertainty.
The uncertainty reduction theory (URT) departs from the assumption that an individual has the desire and motivation to reduce the uncertainty he experiences in a social environment by trying to predict and explain his social environment (Budyatna, 2015).To reduce uncertainty, this theory believes that information is the key to predicting a social environment.According to Berger (2015), Uncertainty Reduction Strategies (URS) are part of the URT, which offers three information-seeking strategies that can used by individuals to reduce uncertainty: passive strategy (observing by seeking information without involving others, whether the target or non-target individuals.),active strategy (information seeking with the involvement of others or third parties who knowledgeable about the target), and interactive strategy (direct interaction between the information seeker and the target).This theory, initially addressing direct face-to-face communication, can also be used in the digital sphere through social media, blogs, or online forums (Sozer, 2019).In addition, this theory, which was initially limited to interpersonal communication, has now been increasingly used in other studies.
Based on a literature review, disparities in opinions and the utilization of these three strategies have been identified in research focusing on consumer purchasing behavior.Consequently, this study aims to examine these divergent viewpoints and address the research gap by aligning with the theory proposed by Berger (2015).This research contributes to the development of the URT and URS within the field of consumer behavior by examining the impact of the three uncertainty reduction strategies on consumer purchase intention.Within the scope of consumer behavior, consumers can use three strategies of reducing uncertainty in searching for information on goods or services (Chang et al., 2015;Tang & Lin, 2019).Chang et al. (2015) and Tang & Lin (2019) conceptualized three uncertainty reduction strategies within the scope of online buying and selling activities (e-commerce), including passive strategy as seen from consumer's practice to examine product descriptions in any form (images, videos, writing), active strategy as practiced by consumers who read reviews from previous buyers, and interactive strategy as conducted by consumers who interact directly with sellers via email or chat features.Some previous research on this topic, however, revealed different views because Furner et al. (2016) and Shin et al. (2017) held that reading online reviews should be classified as a passive strategy since it is impossible to use an active strategy in the cyber world.In contrast to this, there was a widely held belief in the possibility of using active strategy online because asking third parties can be done face to face or through cyberspace (Antheunis et al., 2010;Gambo & Özad, 2020;Blight et al., 2019).
As a prepurchase behavior, purchase intention is highly related to URT and URS because purchase intention tends to arise after a person obtains much information about a product before making a purchase.At the same time, URT and URS discuss information-seeking when a person is faced with uncertainty.According to Chiles & McMackin, 1996;Teo et al., 2003(cited in Tang & Lin, 2019), the greater the level of inaccurate information obtained by prospective buyers, the higher the uncertainty faced and the lower the purchase intention.If the product to be purchased is included in the experience goods category, which cannot be evaluated before purchasing, consumers must seek deeper information to reduce the uncertainty and risk that they may experience.
Information-seeking behavior of individuals to reduce uncertainty is correlated to the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance (UA) as defined by Hofstede (2011) and West and Turner (2017) as an individual's level of tolerance in dealing with uncertainty.In Hofstede's research, Indonesia, as one of the research objects, scored 48 in terms of UA, which was included in the low category.Societies with low levels of UA tend to tolerate different things or taboos and are not very active in seeking information.
The low level of information-seeking behavior among Indonesians based on Hofstede's research results is contradictory to previous research findings, which highlighted consumers' attempts to find product information before making a purchase, especially if the product to be purchased is included in the experience goods category and sales are made online.Therefore, it is interesting to examine whether Indonesian consumers with a low level of UA still seek information before buying a product and what information search strategies are used to reduce uncertainty about a product.Given the significant level of uncertainty and the fact that cosmetics are considered experience goods, this study looked at the online sale of share-in-jar skincare items as beauty products.
Passive strategy by reading the information on the online shop homepage is predicted to influence purchase intention.Research by Zhu et al. (2019) disclosed that product descriptions can affect consumer confidence, which leads to purchase intention.According to Spiggle and Sewal (1987), Crompton and Ankomah (1993), and Tang and Lin (2019), this is because product descriptions are the main source of information that can build an initial impression of the product and the seller.Reading reviews from previous buyers can also influence consumers' purchase intention because the reviews come from many users, which helps consumers obtain a lot of information from various points of view (Furner et al., 2016).Based on this explanation, the first hypothesis in this research is H1: The passive strategy affects the interest in buying share in jar skincare products.
An active strategy of directly asking third parties who have purchased a product (friends, family, or other people) can also influence purchase intention because the buyers are considered to have more experience and knowledge.In addition to asking about a product in person, research by Wang et al. (2017) declared that online discussion platform can have a positive effect on purchase intention because it involves quality information and involvement among members to ask and answer questions in the online discussion platform actively.Thus, the second hypothesis is H2: An active strategy affects the purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products.
An interactive strategy through interaction with sellers can eliminate worries and build trust in the clarification or information provided, which can also influence purchase intention (Tang & Lin, 2019;Chen, Wang, & Wei, 2022).The direct seller's response can lead to comfort so that consumers feel close to the seller and the products offered (Sagiyanto, 2015).Efficient transmission of information will reduce uncertainty and increase purchase intention (Tang & Lin, 2019).Hence, the third hypothesis in this study is H3: The interactive strategy affects the purchase intention in buying share in jar skincare products.
The availability of product information online is needed to reduce risk because of its high uncertainty.Luo et al. (2012) stated that digital access does not provide services for consumers to see and touch products directly.This is reinforced by the statement of Dellarocas (2003) and Kim et al. (2006) (in Lee & Ma, 2012) that purchasing products online can create high uncertainty compared to purchases in physical stores due to limited information provided by sellers, inability to examine the products by way of seeing, touching, and feeling them directly, and limited interaction with sellers.Furthermore, Dimoka et al. (2012) stated that online sellers tend to be unable to describe product characteristics perfectly and in detail, causing difficulties for buyers to obtain information about these products.Consumers integrate and process information from various types of sources, thus, it is justified to say that information is the main driver of behavior directed at product purchases (Racherla et al., 2012;Furner et al., 2012).Furner et al. (2016) demonstrated that the level of information obtained affects how well consumers develop trust in products and how they are ultimately interested in making purchases.Access to information will increase if the search for information is higher (Nurudin, 2013).Therefore, excessive information is better than a lack of information.The fourth hypothesis is H4: The uncertainty reduction strategy affects the purchase intention of share-in-jar skincare products.

METHODS
This study used an explanatory quantitative approach with an online survey method as a way to describe and explain the existing phenomenon by studying two or more variables to test hypotheses and answer research questions (Morissan, 2018).To analyze the data, multiple linear regression techniques were used because the independent sub-variables consisted of more than one (Widarjono, 2015).
This study used primary data collected using an online questionnaire distributed via Google Forms through WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram for approximately one month, from December 2021 to January 2022.The research sampling could be classified as non-probability sampling selected with convenience sampling technique.Convenience sampling was used considering the homogeneous population that only met certain practical criteria.Therefore, distributing questionnaires online with a relatively large number of samples will provide convenience for research participants and is less timeconsuming for researchers to collect data through social media and online chat media (Babbie, 2010;Etikan, 2016;Neuman, 2014).
To determine the number of respondents, the Cochran sample size formula was used because the total population was unknown.This formula obtained at least 395 respondents with an error rate of 5%.Initially, 500 respondents filled out the questionnaire.However, only 395 met the research criteria of Indonesian consumers searching for information about share-in-jar skincare products through marketplaces or SNS.Thus, data analysis was carried out on the responses of the 395 respondents.Based on the total number of respondents, the details of the sample profiles are as follows, Items in this variable were adapted from several previous studies using uncertainty reduction strategies as independent variables within the scope of interpersonal communication and consumer behavior.The variable was then reduced to three sub-variables based on Berger (2015), which states that uncertainty reduction is divided into three strategies: passive, active, and interactive.In this study, the indicators and item statements of the three sub-variables were adapted from research by Antheunis et al. (2010), Fox & Anderegg (2014), Blight et al. (2019), Gambo & Özad (2020), Shin et al. (2017); and Tang & Lin (2019).These variables were measured using a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).In this line, Nunnally held that the range should not be too small nor contain too many choices, which may confuse the research participants but can still suffice the need to interpret the attitude of the respondents (Neuman, 2014).
The items' validity in this variable had been tested using exploratory factor analysis or KMO (Keiser-Meyer-Olkin) with an exploratory approach and Pearson Product Moment.The exploratory factor analysis was carried out to test the validity of the uncertainty reduction strategy by adjusting them to previous research through SPSS of 25 versions before being tested again using Pearson Product Moment to prove the real validity of the created items.Reliability tests were also carried out using Cronbach Alpha with very reliable and reliable results, namely with passive strategy of (α = 0.927), active strategy of (α = 0.821), and interactive strategy of (α = 0.737).
The items on this variable were adapted from research by Wang et al. (2017), which were previously used in research constructed by uncertainty reduction theory.The purchase intention variable was also measured using a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).The validity test on this variable was carried out with Pearson Product Moment on the SPSS version.25.The reliability test of purchase intention was carried out using the Cronbach Alpha formula with very reliable results (α = 0.935).

Characteristics of Information Seeking Before Buying A Product
As seen in Table 2, 96.7%, or 382 respondents, stated that they actively shopped online through marketplaces or SNS, and the remaining 3.3%, or 13 respondents, did not actively shop online through marketplaces or SNS.Furthermore, 86.6% or 343 respondents most often used the marketplace for online shopping, and 12.7% or 50 respondents most often used SNS.A total of 173 respondents (43.8%) answered that they were very active, and 136 respondents (34.4%) said they were active in searching for information before buying a product.A total of 327 respondents (82.8%) revealed that they were trying to get updated information regarding certain products.

Presentation of Descriptive Statistical Data and Regression
Table 3 indicates that the average for the passive strategy was 6.02, with the highest average value of 6.53 in item X1.6, which was collected by reading reviews from people who had previously purchased share-in-jar skincare products.It was also clear that the lowest average value was 5.25 on item X1.2, obtained by examining the latest upload from a store selling share-in-jar skincare products.
The active sub-variable strategy had an average value of 4.23, with the highest average value of 4.89 in item X2.1, which was revealed from the interview with friends/colleagues who had previously purchased share-in jar skincare products.Meanwhile, the lowest was 3.77, collected from asking the opinion of other people in online discussion forums or online communities who had previously purchased share-in-jar skincare products.The survey showed that 80.3%, or 317 respondents, said that they used digital media to reduce uncertainty (such as by telephone, SMS, e-mail, social media, and online chat media), and 19.7%, or 78 respondents, used face-to-face communication channels to reduce uncertainty by asking about share in jar skincare products to friends/colleagues or families who have previously purchased share-in-jar skincare products.The interactive sub-variable strategy had an average value of 4.77.The item with the highest average score of 5.12 was item X3.2, which was obtained from the interview with sellers to find out more information about share-in-jar skincare products.
The F statistical test resulted in a significance of 0.000, which was lower than the significance level in this study (0.05).Therefore, it can be seen that the URS was significant in predicting purchase intention.It can also be seen from the coefficient value of 22.8 that this variable had a positive effect on purchase intention of 22.8%.The t-statistical test disclosed that the first hypothesis test had a significance of 0.000.Thus, the passive strategy influenced purchase intention (H1 is accepted) with a coefficient of 0.262.The results of the second hypothesis test showed a significance of 0.423, so the active strategy did not affect purchase intention (H2 is rejected).The third hypothesis test produced a significance of 0.003; thus, the interactive strategy influenced purchase intention (H3 is accepted) with a coefficient of 0.260.The following figure illustrates the research model.

Discussion
Indonesian consumers with low uncertainty avoidance scores are assumed to tolerate different things or taboos and are not very active in seeking information.However, the questionnaire disclosed that more than 50% of them stated that they actively sought information before buying a product.Then, 372 respondents stated that they tried to get product-related information updates before buying or using them (for example, following marketplace or SNS accounts that sell products, joining communities that discuss product-related matters, and other forms of information updating efforts).
Referring to these data, it can be concluded that Indonesian consumers who, according to Hofstede, had a low level of UA were still active and even very active in seeking information before buying a product (which could be in the form of goods or services to be used).In addition, it has also been proven that Indonesian consumers tried to get product-related information updates with a high level of information search.
Indonesian consumers who search for information actively can be attributed to the availability of easily accessible information.This is reinforced by the fact that many digital platforms facilitate consumers to access information.Most respondents use digital platforms to find information before buying products or using services, such as SNS (Instagram is the most widely used SNS platform), marketplace (Shopee as the dominant marketplace platform used), search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.), YouTube, and certain websites.Nowadays, it is common for individuals to provide or obtain information about products or services through online platforms (Patroni, von Briel, & Recker, 2022;Shen, Li, Sun, Chen, & Wang, 2019).In addition, some respondents also seek information offline from people they know before buying a product or using a service.
The testing on the first hypothesis highlighted that the output of the multiple linear regression test showed the influence of the passive strategy sub-variable on purchase intention.Thus, it is conclusive that the higher the information search with a passive strategy, the greater the consumer's purchase intention in share in jar skincare products.Based on the result of the highest average item, reviews that included testimonials related to share-jar skincare products and sellers were the information most accessed by consumers.Reviews were essential for consumers to be considered when they buy sharein-jar skincare products with high uncertainty.Most often, reviews also contain ratings in the form of stars or numbers to conclude the level of recommendation from past buyers to buy share-in-jar skincare products.
Every time the store uploads a product or information, a comment column or discussion column is provided to communicate between sellers and buyers and between buyers.This column contains questions and opinions from consumers regarding share-in-jar skincare products to be answered by sellers.It allows fellow consumers also to ask questions and answer to each other.In addition to the comment column, there is a product description to build an initial impression of the product and to an overview of the seller profile (Zhu et al., 2019).SNS enables viewers to see the number of likes and comments from consumers on each post.The share-in-jar skincare sellers also often post-consumer testimonials on their store homepage.Meanwhile, the number of sales on the marketplace can be seen clearly because each platform includes sales figures and the number of consumers who provide reviews.If a store's testimonials and sales figures constantly increase from time to time, it is clear that the share in jar skincare products is trusted, which thus affects the purchase intention.
The store profile is another useful feature in addition to the name.Online stores may also include the location or full address of the store as well as communication channels for consumers who wish to contact them, such as social media accounts, e-mail, and telephone numbers.However, there are different features of store profiles on SNS and those in the marketplace.
The multiple linear regression tests revealed that there was no influence from the active strategy on the purchase intention.Information search with an active strategy played a role in consumers' purchase intention in share in jar skincare products through marketplaces and SNS.This can be viewed from several factors.Referring to Knobloch (2016) and Redmond (2015), an active strategy that is carried out by asking third parties tends to be difficult because it must depend on the reliability of third parties, which thus requires more effort to identify people who really know the targeted products well.Furner et al. (2016) added that within the scope of consumer behavior, the use of active strategy limits individuals in obtaining information because it is not necessarily to be obtained from third parties, such as friends, colleagues, family, or other people who have purchased products and understand about the products to be purchased.From these statements, consumers may find it difficult to find the right third party as a source of information, who may provide them with limited information using this active strategy.Thus, when individuals lack much information about the product, it is nearly impossible to form purchase intention.
Based on research results, 80.3% of respondents more frequently used digital or online platforms to ask people they knew about share in jar skincare.Most of the respondents in this study still took advantage of the development of digital technology to interact with people they know.According to Furner et al. (2016), consumers prefer to read online reviews rather than ask third parties because they are easier to find.In addition, online reviews provide various reviews from many users from different points of view, which may lead to much richer information about the product.Shin et al. (2017) also stated that passive and interactive strategies are more suitable for use in the online environment.This is because information in videos, photos, audio, and other forms has been widely used as a supporting element.In contrast, contact information, such as e-mail or a contact person, is definitely listed on the store homepage.These statements highlight that consumers seek complete, easy-to-obtain information before developing purchase intention.
The hypothesis testing indicated that the interactive strategy influenced purchase intention.The higher the search for information with an interactive strategy, the greater the consumers' purchase intention to share in jar skincare products on the marketplace and SNS.Interactivity can help consumers build trust and reduce uncertainty in buying and selling online due to technical limitations that do not facilitate face-to-face interaction with sellers.The product description included also does not necessarily contain all the information consumers need, so the sellers play a role as a facilitator to provide the consumers with the information they want.In general, the buyers who communicate with the seller will be answered by the seller concerned, and thus, the information search becomes more effective and efficient (Tang & Lin, 2019).
The results of this study have proven that the passive strategy (X1), active strategy (X2), and interactive strategy (X3) simultaneously influence the intention to buy a share in jar skincare products (Y) of 22.8.These findings contribute to URT and URS related to the cultural dimensions of uncertainty avoidance for Indonesian consumers.Three strategies to reduce uncertainty are still being used even though the level of UA for Indonesian consumers is in the low category.Through case studies of experienced goods sold online, it is clear that Indonesian consumers are still looking for information using three URS.However, they mostly used passive strategy to be followed by interactive strategy and active strategy as alternative strategies.
Information-seeking behavior to reduce uncertainty in share-in-jar skincare products as experience good through the online marketplace is proven to influence consumers' purchase interest.This result follows Berger (2015) as the originator of the URT, that information contributes to reducing uncertainty, which can be used as the predictor of a social environment.This study found that the sub-variables as the main predictors that influenced the purchase intention to buy share-in-jar skincare products were the passive strategy and the interactive strategy.In contrast, the active strategy did not affect the purchase intention of share-in-jar skincare products.
This study disclosed that the respondents tended to seek information by relying on their abilities without involving other people, such as sellers or third parties.Respondents tended to find information related to share-in-jar skincare products themselves by reading the information listed on the store homepage, such as store profiles, posts, product descriptions, comments or discussion columns, and reviews from previous buyers.According to Berger (2015), individuals will look for the right situation when searching for information using a passive strategy.In the context of interpersonal communication, individuals tend to make observations when the target is in an informal situation because of the activities and behaviors carried out by the target, which thus results in a variety of information.When conceptualized into the context of consumer behavior in this study, individuals tended to make observations of an online store with a variety of information on its pages to obtain much richer information, which leads to purchase intention.This follows the statement that the purchase intention increases along with the much richer information received.In this line, Berger (2015) added that searching for information with a passive strategy is potentially inefficient if the information concerned does not match what is desired.Therefore, it is necessary to have complete and varied information on store pages that sell share-in-jar skincare to increase consumer purchase intention.This is so by considering the research that consumers mostly use passive strategy to reduce uncertainty that leads to purchase intention.
Searching for information with an interactive strategy is a second predictor that is proven to influence purchase intention.This notion accords with Berger (2015), who considered information seeking an obvious strategy for obtaining information because it directly interacts with the target.This strategy can be used when the information obtained through a passive strategy is considered unsatisfactory.The results of this study disclosed that respondents also interacted with the seller by giving feedback in the comments column or discussion column to reduce uncertainty.This strategy was considered efficient for allowing direct interaction with the target.Judging from the research results, which show that respondents also use interactive strategy to reduce uncertainty, the seller of share-in-jar skincare products as the target in question should play an active role in interactive communication and be informative in answering consumer questions to boost purchase intention.This is consistent with the research finding of Chen, Wang, & Wei (2022) that reducing buyer uncertainty will lead to purchase intention.
Even though the active strategy is proven insignificant in partially influencing the purchase intention of share-in-jar skincare, this strategy does contribute when tested simultaneously.Even though Berger (2015) held that active strategy carries a greater risk due to limited and potentially biased information, active strategy can be more efficient than passive strategy.This is because information seekers can control which information they will get, while third parties can provide certain information about the target as desired by information seekers.
The proven fourth hypothesis indicated that purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products can be influenced by information searching by observing things described on the store page, asking third parties, and interacting with sellers.However, even though the three sub-variables tested simultaneously can influence the purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products, the absence of an active strategy will not reduce the significance of the URS in influencing the purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products or its significance will potentially increase in influencing the purchase intention in share in jar skincare products.

CONCLUSION
Indonesian consumers with low uncertainty avoidance are still active and even very active in seeking information before purchasing products or using services.Simultaneously, URS that include passive, active, and interactive strategies affect the purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products.Then, partially, passive and interactive strategies influenced purchase intention.However, the active strategy does not affect the intention to buy share-in-jar skincare products.The higher the search for information to reduce uncertainty, the higher the interest in buying share-in-jar skincare products on the marketplace and SNS in Indonesia.
There is a significant and positive effect between the passive strategy and the purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products.The higher the search for information with a passive strategy, the higher the consumer's intention to buy share-in-jar skincare products.This illustrates the extent to which the information described on the store homepage can influence their purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products.The more complete the information listed on the shop page, the higher the consumer's purchase intention of share jar skincare products.There is a significant and positive influence between the interactive strategy and the purchase intention in buying share in jar skincare products.The higher the search for information with an interactive strategy, the higher the interest of consumers to buy share-in-jar skincare products.This illustrates the extent to which information or feedback provided by sellers through questions or comments submitted by consumers can influence their purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products.The clearer and more comprehensive the information provided by the seller on consumer questions or comments, the more developed the consumers' purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products increases.There is no effect between active strategy and purchase intention in share-in-jar skincare products.An active strategy of asking third parties such as friends, colleagues, family, or other third parties is not able to predict purchase intention in share in jar skincare products.
This study examines the effect of URS on the purchase intention of a product without adding uncertainty reduction as a mediating variable.Therefore, it is suggested that further research add uncertainty reduction variables to test their role in URS and purchase intention.This study also does not distinguish specific URS between marketplace platforms and SNS.Thus, further research is suggested to compare specific URS on the two platforms.
This study discusses information seeking as a way to reduce uncertainty through passive, active, and interactive strategy.Related to information seeking with this strategy, other potential factors might reduce uncertainty, thereby influencing consumer buying interest in share-in-jar skincare products.This includes consumer-generated media as a source of information created by previous buyers and online search engines, such as Google Search, which has the potential to generate various types of information.Although the results of this study indicate that the active strategy does not affect the intention to buy share-in-jar skincare products, future research is suggested to continue testing the active strategy to predict the intention to buy share-in-jar skincare products because third parties can also contribute as information providers.In addition, an active strategy can also be carried out through digital media (online), thus, making it necessary to re-examine this strategy.

Table 1 .
Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents

Table 2 .
Information Seeking Behavior of the Respondents

Table 3 .
Mean of URS and Purchase Intention