Research on Improving Consumer Purchase Intention by Enhancing Brand Image: Evidence from Field Experiments on Starbucks

Abstract

How to improve consumer purchase intention and then corporate performance is a hot issue that enterprises are concerned about. Many researchers have investigated typical factors influencing purchase intention from the dimensions of cultural factors, scarcity effects, and market strategies. However, few types of research are available on how brand image affects the purchase intention of consumers. Therefore, this paper uses Starbucks as an example to identify the relation between brand image and the purchase intention consumers hold by collecting data on consumers’ purchasing behavior, evaluating brand images, and conducting correlation and heterogeneity analysis. Empirical results have shown brand image is significantly correlated to purchase intention, which varies among groups with various characteristics. Correlation is stronger if a consumer is female, younger, earn a lower salary, visits Starbucks less frequently, or spends less in a single visit. This paper can help companies fully understand how the brand image affects consumers’ purchase intention. In that case, they can make clear the effectiveness of their brand marketing when formulating business strategies to obtain more turnover and profit through this method.