Comparison of Periodic Behavior of Consumer Online Searches for Restaurants in the U.S. and China Based on Search Engine Data

Increased knowledge about the online search behavior of restaurant consumers is valuable to restaurant management and marketing professionals. However, people in different countries may demonstrate distinctive online search behaviors. There has been a lack of cross-cultural research on the online search behavior of restaurant consumers. In this paper, the periodic nature of online search behavior demonstrated by restaurant consumers from U.S. and China is analyzed and compared using Fourier transform and Parseval's theorem. The search interest records from Google and Baidu, respectively, are used. The results reveal that the online search behavior of restaurant consumers in the U.S. is strongly governed by weekly cycles but less dependent on annual cycles; however, the analogous consumer behavior in China exhibits less dependence on weekly cycles. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.