AISAS Model: Attention, Interest, Search, Action, Share
The AISAS Model maps a digital purchase path as Attention, Interest, Search, Action, and Share. Search is buyer-initiated lookup before conversion. Share is publishing after conversion, which can feed new Attention. The method is useful when those two stages are real in the case, not when they are…
Framework Card
- Name:
- AISAS Model
- Goal:
- Map a digital purchase path as Attention, Interest, Search, Action, and Share, then see whether the break is at lookup or at post-purchase publishing.
- Flow:
- Attention → Interest → Search → Action → Share
- Best For:
- Buyers who research online before they convert; Growth that depends on reviews, UGC, or sharing; Campaigns that buy Attention but disappear in search and comparison
Why it matters
A campaign can win the click and still lose the week. The buyer leaves to compare specs, read reviews, and search the category name plus “vs.” If you are invisible or untrustworthy at that moment, Interest does not become Action. After a purchase, silence is another break: no review prompt, no shareable artifact, no way for the next stranger to notice you except another ad.
AISAS names those two jobs. It does not make search rankings or viral posts automatic.
What it is
AISAS is a five-stage teaching path associated with Dentsu: Attention, Interest, Search, Action, Share. It adapts older purchase-path teaching (AIDA) to a buyer who looks things up and who may publish afterward. Search is not AIDMA Memory. Memory is staying recallable during a delay. Search is active research. Share is not AIPL Loyalty. Loyalty is a designed stay. Share is a public or peer signal.
The Share-to-Attention loop is a possible cycle. It is not a growth engine you can assert without evidence from the case.
AISAS does not replace pirate metrics, a habit loop, or a loyalty program. It diagnoses a path where lookup and publishing matter.
How it works
A useful AISAS pass locates the break at Search or Share, not a poster of five letters.
1. Attention
How is the offer noticed (ad, feed, placement)? Attention without a path into Search still dumps the buyer into a blank query.
2. Interest
Why is a closer look worth it? Interest is not proof. Proof often lives in Search.
3. Search
What will the buyer type, compare, or read? Name the queries, review surfaces, and comparison pages that exist in the case. If you cannot name them, Search is a slogan.
4. Action
What conversion closes the research? Reduce friction that the case actually shows. Do not invent a checkout rate.
5. Share
What publishing is realistic (review, photo, referral, unboxing)? Name the ask and the artifact. Do not assume Share happens because the product is “shareworthy.”
If the case shows no research behavior, say so. Forcing AISAS onto impulse checkout adds unused stages.
How it compares
When another lens fits better, or when you need a complementary view, these frameworks do different jobs. They are not interchangeable labels for the same question.
| Framework | What it helps you see | How it differs from AISAS |
|---|---|---|
| AIDA | Attention, Interest, Desire, Action | No Search, no Share |
| AIDMA Model | Memory between Desire and Action | Hold-in-mind, not lookup and publishing |
| AIPL Model | Purchase then Loyalty | Stay/repeat, not Share as publishing |
| AARRR Model | Acquisition to Revenue metrics | Metric cascade, not five teaching stages |
| Hook Model | Trigger, Action, Reward, Investment | Product habit, not a research path |
AISAS is the lens for a path where Search and Share are real stages. Other methods help when the question is immediate conversion, delayed Memory, loyalty, pirate metrics, or habit design.
When to Use This Framework
- SEO-sensitive conversion. Interest exists, but Action waits on search and comparison.
- Social-proof growth. Reviews, UGC, or sharing are how new Attention is supposed to appear.
- High-consideration digital purchase. Features are compared across tabs before checkout.
Example
A concrete example makes the structure easier to reuse when you are under uncertainty.
Example: Ad clicks, then comparison tabs
A DTC mattress brand sees strong ad CTR and weak purchase. Session recordings show outbound searches for “brand vs brand” and review-site visits.
Implication: Interest is not the whole problem. Search is. Comparison pages, review coverage, and query-aligned content are AISAS work. Another Awareness flight treats the wrong stage. Rankings are not guaranteed by the model.
Example: Bookings with no public trail
A tour operator converts well from search ads. Almost no guest photos or reviews appear. New demand still depends on paid Attention.
Implication: Share is the empty stage if growth is supposed to ride guest publishing. A post-trip prompt, a shareable itinerary card, and a review link are AISAS work. That is not a loyalty program. It is a publishing ask.
Takeaway
What AISAS can help with
- Naming Search as designed lookup, not as a hope
- Naming Share as a publishing stage that can feed new Attention
- Catching campaigns that buy Attention and disappear in comparison
- Separating research behavior from Memory ads and from loyalty memberships
What AISAS cannot replace
- AIDA. No Search, no Share. Enough when research is not part of the buy.
- AIDMA. Memory holds a delayed Desire. It is not Search.
- AIPL. Loyalty is stay after Purchase. Share is publishing.
- AARRR Model. Referral as a metric is not the Share stage as a path design.
- Hook Model. A habit loop is product design, not a search-and-share path.
- A guarantee of organic growth. Share does not automatically create Attention.
Honest scope: AISAS structures a digital path with lookup and publishing. It does not replace the methods above, and it should not be sold as a digital-age law.
Frequently asked questions
AIDA has no Search and no Share. AISAS assumes the buyer looks things up and may publish after acting. If those behaviors are absent, AIDA is usually enough.
No. Search is active research. Memory is remaining recallable during a delay. You can need both in a long cycle, but they are different jobs.
A named research path, a named publishing path, a read of where the break is, and stage-true moves. If the output only says “do SEO and UGC,” you do not have an analysis yet.
It requires that Search or Share actually happens. A purely offline impulse buy does not give those stages work to do.
Only if someone sees the post or review. Share is a possible loop, not an automatic engine.