Consumer Behavioral Intentions Research Articles

How Do Anchors' Characteristics Influence Consumers' Behavioural Intention in Livestream Shopping? A Moderated Chain-Mediation Explanatory Model.

Livestream shopping has become the focus of current marketing practises, while theoretical research on it is still in initial stages. Thus, from the para-social interaction (PSI) theory perspective, this study draws on cognitive–affective system theory as an analytical framework to explore internal mechanisms of how anchors' characteristics influence consumer behavioural intentions in livestream shopping while considering the characteristics of consumer online interaction propensity. We conducted a survey questionnaire with a sample of 355 consumers who experienced livestream shopping and used structural equation modelling to assess their behavioural intentions. Our results reveal that anchors' physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, and professional ability influence consumers' intentions to follow the authors' suggestions and recommend anchors to others during live streams. PSI and affective trust in anchors are the chain-mediation mechanisms. Furthermore, consumers' online interaction propensity positively moderates the influence of anchors' characteristics on PSI and plays a moderating role on the whole chain mediation. However, this only affects anchors' physical attractiveness and social attractiveness while exert no effect on anchors' professional ability. This study advances the theoretical research on livestream shopping and provides practical inspiration for managers to develop more targeted livestream marketing strategies.

English Accent Variations in YouTube Voice-Over Ads and the Role of Perceptions on Attitude and Purchase Intentions

Recent changes in the media landscape have refocused research onto online advertising, such as YouTube advertising, Instagram TV, and Facebook video advertisements. The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of accented voice-overs ads without the physical appearance of the spokesperson on consumer perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Two studies were conducted, and the results show that foreign/nonnative accents and host/native accents are different in their effectiveness when determining consumers’ perceived attractiveness, expertise, and entertainment in their attitudes toward the YouTube ad and purchase intentions. Results show that a nonnative accent is perceived to be more entertaining than a native accent. The perception of expertise was very similar for native and nonnative English accents. The implications based on the two studies suggest that perceived attractiveness of the accent was dependent on the similarity (e.g., tonal language) between the nonnative and native accent. The results imply that the motive of the ad (e.g., information versus entertainment) must be clear so that there is congruency between motives and perceptions toward the respective accent.

Impact of cause‐related marketing on consumer advocacy and cause participation: A causal model based on self‐reports and eye‐tracking measures

Cause-related marketing improves corporate image and consumer attitudes toward brands. An important research gap is how the visual attention paid to cause-related cues in social media affect consumer attitudes and behaviors. In the present study, we analyze the moderating role of the visual attention paid to Instagram-based, cause-related posts on the impact of consumer perceptions (i.e., corporate image), beliefs (trust), and attitudes (i.e., corporate social responsibility [CSR] support) on behavioral intentions (i.e., cause participation, consumer advocacy, and intention to share posts) for fast-food restaurants. Data for the study were collected in a between-subjects experiment with 123 participants. Visual attention was measured using eye-tracking technology, and consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions through an online survey. The results show that the greater the attention paid to images (amount and duration of fixations) and the more revisits made lead to more positive attitudes and behaviors toward the cause and the company. On the other hand, the more time spent looking at the company's responses to negative user-generated content weakens the relationship between trust and consumer advocacy toward the company. These results can help practitioners design appropriate cause-related marketing strategies in social media.

Behavioral intention to use cryptocurrency in Malaysia: an empirical study

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically examine the factors influencing consumer behavioral intention (BI) to use cryptocurrency as a medium of transaction. Constructs from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model and an added variable, perceived risk (PR), are examined to predictBI. Age and gender as moderators are retained in this model.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was used to gather the respondents’ responses on a five-point Likert scale. G * Power was used to calculate the required minimum sample size. A non-probability sampling technique was used to gather data from the 290 respondents based in Malaysia. The final data set was analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences and SmartPLS software using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results show that three of the five proposed factors (performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating condition) are significant predictors ofBIto adopt cryptocurrency as a medium of transaction. Interestingly,PRis not a significant predictor even though prior research studies showed otherwise. Likewise, the relationship betweenBIand social influence became significant only when age is added as a moderator.Practical implicationsMalaysians are still wary of cryptocurrency, even though global tech firms such as Amazon and Microsoft are already accepting Bitcoin as a payment method. This study aims to provide relevant authorities and businesses (i.e. central bank, retail merchants and cryptocurrency exchangers) insights toward understanding the factors consumers focus on if they were to use cryptocurrency as a medium of transaction.Originality/valueMost cryptocurrency research are done in developed countries (i.e. USA, UK and EU) perspective. This research addresses the lack of quantitative literature on significant factors influencingBIto use cryptocurrency in developing country context while taking aPR, age and gender into consideration.

The impact of CSR on nonprofit outcomes: how the choice of corporate partner influences reputation and supportive intentions

PurposeWhile research has shown that corporate social responsibility (CSR) can enhance a company's reputation, less is known about the effects of CSR communication on nonprofits. Hence, the current study seeks to understand how corporate reputation, message credibility and message source may impact consumers' attitudinal and behavioral intentions toward nonprofits.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (corporate reputation: low vs high) × 2 (CSR communication source: newspaper blog vs nonprofit blog) between-subjects online experiment was conducted. Real-world corporations (Toyota and Volkswagen) and a nonprofit (World Wildlife Fund) were chosen based on a pretest.FindingsNonprofit reputation increased after reading a CSR message, especially when it involved a partnership with a low-reputation corporation. Nevertheless, CSR partnerships with high-reputation corporations evoked higher volunteer intentions. Message credibility mediated the relationship between corporate reputation and nonprofit reputation. When the communication source was the nonprofit and the partnership involved a high-reputation corporation, positive evaluations of nonprofit likeability and competence resulted.Practical implicationsNonprofit communication managers should understand the merit of communicating CSR partnerships with their constituents, regardless of medium. Additionally, the choice of a corporate partner is important for certain nonprofit outcomes. Lastly, message credibility is another important factor that should be considered.Originality/valueThe study bridges literature in communications that typically examines CSR by focusing on its effects on corporate outcomes with literature in nonprofit management that looks at nonprofit outcome measures. This study demonstrated that nonprofit–corporate alliances can also influence nonprofit reputation and donation/volunteer intentions based on the reputation of the corporate partner.

Effects of a “spin doctor” in crisis communication: a serial mediation model of identification and attitudes impacting behavioral intentions

ABSTRACT This paper combines theories of identification and image repair to explain why an organization in crisis should avoid designing messages that engage in “spin.” An experiment is reported (N = 262 nationwide U.S. Qualtrics Panel) in which a company spokesperson replies to questions from a journalist in a news interview. Results indicate that people (a) identify more with the spokesperson, and (b) have more favorable attitudes toward the business, when the spokesperson directly answers rather than spins. Serial multiple mediator modeling reveals the theoretical process of consumer behavioral intentions bolstered by an organization “coming clean” instead of spinning in a scandal.

COVID-19 is Feminine: Grammatical Gender Influences Danger Perceptions and Precautionary Behavioral Intentions by Activating Gender Stereotypes.

Gendered languages assign masculine and feminine grammatical gender to all nouns, including nonhuman entities. In French and Spanish, the name of the disease resulting from the virus (COVID‐19) is grammatically feminine, whereas the virus that causes the disease (coronavirus) is masculine. In this research, we test whether the grammatical gender mark affects judgments. In a series of experiments with French and Spanish speakers, we show that grammatical gender affects virus‐related judgments consistent with gender stereotypes: feminine‐ (vs. masculine‐) marked terms for the virus lead individuals to assign lower stereotypical masculine characteristics to the virus, which in turn reduces their danger perceptions. The effect generalizes to precautionary consumer behavior intentions (avoiding restaurants, movies, public transportation, etc.) as well as to other diseases and is moderated by individual differences in chronic gender stereotyping. These effects occur even though the grammatical gender assignment is semantically arbitrary.

How social media advertising features influence consumption and sharing intentions: the mediation of customer engagement

PurposeSocial media advertising (SMA) has become overly critical in the interactive marketing research field. This paper aimed to construct a research architecture model and to investigate the mediating effect of customer engagement between SMA and consumer behavioral intention in the context of Macao's casino integrated resorts.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from 300 Chinese-speaking visitors of Macao's casino integrated resorts through a face-to-face survey. The hypotheses derived from the conceptual model were tested through two-stage structural equation modeling. The authors considered age and gender as control variables.FindingsThis study found that entertainment and promotional rewards had significant direct effects on consumption intention. Social media dependency did affect directly not only consumption intention but also sharing intention. Customer engagement on SMA mediated the effects of two SMA features (entertainment and promotional rewards) and one feature of SMA viewers (social media dependency) on consumption intention. As to extraneous variables, neither age nor gender significantly influenced consumer behavioral intention.Practical implicationsThe casino integrated resort managers should enhance the entertainment elements and provide reasonable promotional rewards to increase SMA's effectiveness. Managers should also consider the social media usage habits of the targeted customers. Further academic research on casino integrated resorts in other regions may use this study as a basis for investigating the mediation of customer engagement on SMA.Originality/valueThis study contributed to understanding the mediating mechanism of customer engagement on SMA by conceptualizing customer engagement on SMA as a unique idea and provided a conceptual framework for further theoretical and empirical research in the interactive marketing research field.

수상레저스포츠 시설의 SNS 마케팅활동, 고객만족도 및 행동의도의 인과관계

The purpose of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between SNS marketing activities of water leisure sports facilities and consumer satisfaction and behavioral intention. To achieve the purpose of this study, after viewing and visiting the social media marketing activities of water leisure sports facilities, selecting water leisure sports participants as a population, a convenient sampling method using one facility in Gyeonggi-do and three windsurfing sites in Seoul. The survey was conducted from July to the end of August 2020. A total of 280 questionnaires were collected, but data from 269 questionnaires were used for actual analysis, excluding 11 questionnaires that were judged to be unfaithful. 24.0 and LISREL Ver. 8.52 A statistical analysis program was used to perform frequency analysis, reliability analysis, confirmation factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model analysis. The results obtained through the above analysis are as follows. First, it was found that social media marketing activities of water leisure sports facilities had a partially significant effect on customer satisfaction. Second, it was found that customer satisfaction with water leisure sports facilities had a significant effect on behavioral intention. Finally, it was found that playfulness among the social media marketing activities of water leisure sports facilities had an indirect effect on behavioral intention.

STUDY ON PERCEIVED ONLINE CONVENIENCE AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOWARD BEHAVIORAL INTENTION IN ONLINE SHOPPING

This study aims to determine the dimensions of online convenience that have an effect and most importantly on the satisfaction and behavioral intentions of a consumer when shopping online. The data source used in this research is primary data. The technique chosen to support research activities related to sampling in this research is the Nonprobability Sampling technique. This research make use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as a statistical instrument in an effort to test various hypotheses that have been determined with the help of AMOS 24 software. The results showed that There is an indirect relationship between perceived convenience online and behavioral intention and there is a direct relationship between online consumer satisfaction and behavioral intention. Based on the research results, it can be proven that all sub-construct dimensions such as access, search, evaluation, attention, transaction, ownership, and post-ownership can represent the main constructs, namely consumers' perceptions of online convenience, especially in Indonesia. Keywords: Perceptions of Online Convenience; Online Consumer Satisfaction; Behavioral Intention; SEM

Consumer Behavior and Purchase Intention of Organic Meat: An Overview

The increase of interest in organic meat throughout the world is in response to concerns about the intensive agricultural practices and their effects on consumers’ health and the environment. Several researches have demonstrated that consumers have become increasingly concerned by the health risks posed by food consumption and this is reflected in the growth of organic food market in recent years across all regions, including Malaysia. However, the organic meat sector in Malaysia is still at its “infancy stage”, whereby more supports are needed to create consumer awareness in order to enhance the acceptance and stimulate the organic meat purchase in the country. The purpose of the study was to analyze the Malaysian’s consumer behavior on their purchase intention towards organic meat from various economic and marketing aspects. The overall results of this study reveal the organic meat choice motives of consumers as well as the purchasing pattern of organic meat among consumers in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study was carried out via a structured survey throughout Klang Valley areas involving 300 respondents. Future research should focus on a similar study with the extended scope to all states in Malaysia so that the findings could be compared and generalized to the entire population in Malaysia.

Investigating consumers' behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce: an extended theory of planned behavior – a cross-cultural study

PurposeThis study extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) through the inclusion of motivating variables for suboptimal produce preference (i.e. environmental concern, food waste awareness, and familiarity), and demotivating variables (i.e. health consciousness and risk perception) to investigate behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research methodology using the online survey technique is employed to collect cross-cultural data from respondents from China (n = 430) and Egypt (n = 441). Structural equation modeling (SEM) via SmartPLS v.3.2.9 is used to analyze data.FindingsThe proposed extended TPB model could enhance predicting consumers' behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce except for “environmental concern” since it has been found that environmental concern has a nonsignificant effect on consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce in both countries. The results also reveal that the proposed extended TPB constructs could predict 79.9% of intentions to purchase suboptimal produce and 65.3% of the variance in intentions to recommend such produce for others.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few attempts that investigates the suboptimal food consumption based on a theoretical lens by extending the TPB model. Previous studies on suboptimal food do not pay attention to the demotivating variables such as health consciousness and risk perception, and thus, this thesis represents the first effort that sheds light on such variables. Moreover, prior investigation on such issues in Egypt and China as a cross-cultural research has not existed.

The effect of attribute alignability on brand evaluation in a competitive context: The moderating role of regulatory mode

AbstractBased on structural alignment and regulatory mode theories, this research examined how different regulatory modes (assessment and locomotion) affect attitude and purchase intention for a target brand when it is presented in nonalignable/alignable comparison contexts. According to the structural alignment theory, alignable attributes are comparable aspects across product alternatives (e.g., Popcorn A has calories equal to 20 peanuts while Popcorn B has calories equal to 10 peanuts) while nonalignable attributes are aspects that do not correspond to aspects in other options (e.g., Popcorn A has fiber while Popcorn B tastes a bit sweet). Study 1 employed locomotion mode and attribute alignability (alignable vs. nonalignable) as between‐subjects variables. Study 2 employed a single‐factor (regulatory mode: assessment vs. locomotion) design. Data were collected from Amazon's Mechanical Turk participant pool. Findings indicated that the match between regulatory mode and structural alignment of brand attributes affects consumer evaluation and behavioral intention. In Study 1, high locomotors evaluated the target product more favorably and tended to purchase the target brand more in a nonalignable comparison context but not in an alignable one. In Study 2, assessors preferred an alignable‐better brand more than locomotors did, whereas locomotors tended to prefer a nonalignable‐better brand more than assessors did. Implications are discussed related to the effects of regulatory mode and attribute alignability on consumer preference and brand strategies.

Towards a Korean Sustainable Business Model at National Level: The Influence of Cultural and Political Perceptions of National Image on Consumers’ Behavior

Despite the increasing uptake of the term sustainable business model (SBM), the concept has mainly focused on business strategies. However, integrating the SBM into a longer-term and macroscopic framework would make it more sustainable. This article explored the SBM as a national strategy that operates beyond a corporate level. In this respect, the study examined the ways in which cultural and political perceptions of a nation can influence consumers’ choices. This article particularly examined the explanatory power of two ideational driving forces: perceptions of cultural heritage, and perceptions of politics and foreign relations. By assessing a dataset of the views of 223 African students studying in Korea, this study confirmed that national image meaningfully affects consumer behavior (intention to recommend). Furthermore, the study provided new evidence that cultural and political perceptions of a nation have a significantly positive effect on national image. It was also found that national image played a role as a mediating variable relating to cultural/political perceptions and intention to recommend. By extending the concept of the SBM to a national level, this article lays the foundation for a win–win situation between decision makers in both business and political sectors.

Demystifying congruence effects in Instagram in-feed native ads: the role of media-based and self-based congruence

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the kinds of ad appeals and brand types that contribute to perceived ad–media congruence on Instagram and how such congruence influences consumers’ engagement intentions via the interaction of self-related congruence constructs. Additionally, ad intrusiveness was studied as a mediator of the relationship between ad–media congruence and consumers’ behavioral engagement intention.Design/methodology/approachAn online 2 (Ad appeal: hedonic vs utilitarian) × 2 (Brand type: hedonic vs utilitarian) between-subject experiment was conducted with four versions of mock-up Instagram in-feed native ads.FindingsResults showed that hedonic advertising appeals contributed to ad–media congruence on Instagram, which yielded a lower level of ad intrusiveness and further resulted in higher consumer behavioral engagement intentions. The brand type did not significantly influence participants’ perceptions of ad–media congruence. Moreover, the findings indicate individuals’ brand-self congruence and ad-self congruence were significant moderators in interactions with ad–media congruence in influencing consumers’ behavioral engagement intentions.Practical implicationsBoth brand managers and social media providers can leverage this study’s findings to improve ad effectiveness and consumer experiences in their respective social media landscapes. Specifically, knowing what kind of ad is more congruent and less intrusive, as well as how to better tailor targeting strategies in digital media spaces by building higher ad self- and brand self-congruence, can help them achieve persuasive effects when complying with the Federal Trade Commission disclosure guideline.Originality/valueThe current study advances extant literature on native advertising by examining the core characteristic of ad–media congruence and its relation to the key metric of social media marketing success – consumer engagement intentions. The findings also extend the congruence theory by examining the interaction effect of media- and self-related congruence constructs.

Drivers of consumers’ change to an energy-efficient heating appliance (EEHA) in households: Evidence from five European countries

Residential buildings are significant contributors to global energy consumption. Hence, numerous articles have studied occupants’ energy behaviors to promote households’ change toward energy efficiency. However, the drivers of these behaviors, analyzed in a unified view of several perspectives, have not been fully explored in the literature. Moreover, the intention to adopt an energy-efficient heating appliance (EEHA) has never been investigated in order to understand what drives people to change their current appliances. To fill this gap, our work gathers six relevant contexts (triggers, barriers, engagement, house characteristics, co-benefits, and communication channels) to predict behavior change (both attitude on heating equipment use and intention to change to an EEHA). We tested our model based on a sample of 1611 observations collected in five European countries, using structural equation modeling. Our work reveals the significance of energy efficiency and labeling as motivations, and operation and maintenance as barriers. Co-benefits and communication channels also greatly affect consumer behavior intention, namely organizational and web media channels. Our results also emphasize the importance of consumer engagement in the topic of energy, being the strongest effect on behavior intention. These findings have practical implications for both energy and governmental organizations to increase households’ energy efficiency.

Message Interactivity and Source Credibility in Online Dental Practice Reviews: Responding to Reviews Triggers Positive Consumer Reactions Regardless of Review Valence

ABSTRACT Online health reviews are powerful since people use them to glean information about medical professionals. Nonetheless, less is known about what strategies can cultivate positive relationships with consumers when the latter are exposed to patient reviews. A 2 (review valence: negative vs. positive) x 3 (message interactivity: low vs medium vs high) x 2 (review responding source: customer service representative vs. dentist) between-subjects (N = 410) online experiment was conducted. The results showed that positive reviews (vs. negative reviews) and increased organizational responsiveness led to more favorable prospective patient reactions toward the reviewed dental practice. Most importantly, this study detected a significant two-way interaction between review valence and message interactivity. As found, even in the presence of negative reviews higher levels of message interactivity on online review sites can significantly improve the health organization-public relationship (e.g., trust, commitment, satisfaction, control mutuality) as well as enhance organizational reputation and patient behavioral intentions. Mediation tests revealed that source credibility mediated the effects of the review responding source on the relational outcomes, organizational reputation, and consumer behavioral intentions. More specifically, when a dentist replied to the reviews prospective patients perceived favorably the dental clinic and were more likely to visit it in the future than when a customer service representative responded. Theoretical and practical implications for effective online relationship management in the healthcare industry are discussed.

Effects of Interactivity on Consumer Behavioral Intention in Mobile Social Commerce in China

The authors study the effects of perceived interactivity on consumer behavioral intention according to the characteristics of consumer behavior in mobile social commerce. Results indicate that the intensity of information interaction has significant and positive effects on the depth, breadth, and novelty of consumer recommendations and reviews. The intensity of interpersonal interaction has significant and positive effects on community-based trust and response intensity. Information interaction has significant and positive effects on interpersonal interaction and suggestion adoption. Findings also reveal the relationship between interactivity and consumer behavioral intention in mobile social commerce. The conclusions provide theoretical support for studying how these constructs interact with each other.

Green Advertising for the Sustainable Luxury Market

Consumers are increasingly interested in environmental issues, which have raised their expectations of firms’ environmentally conscious efforts. The purpose of this study is to investigate how green messages in advertisements conveying a firm’s commitment to the environment can effectively influence consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, this study examines the psychological mechanism underlying such an effect. The results of two studies show that firms’ eco-friendly efforts as revealed in advertisements for luxury products generated favorable attitudes in consumers and increased their behavioral intentions more than firms’ eco-friendly efforts as revealed in advertisements for mass products. This process was driven by trust in the ad message, especially for consumers of luxury brands and who are not confused by green message. This research provides empirical evidence that green ads presenting a firm’s commitment to the environment can effectively influence consumers when brands are used to promote eco-friendly products in luxury markets.

Geographical indication labelling of food and behavioural intentions

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how consumer's purchase intentions and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions of local tea are influenced by the signal effects of geographical indication labelling (GIL) on the basis of theory of reasoned action and social identity theory.Design/methodology/approachThis study has developed a structural equation model (SEM) to explain the effects of consumer's attitudes, social norms and social identities on behavioural intentions, considering purchase of foods with geographical indication labels. This study collected responses from 318 consumers of tea in Taiwan.FindingsThree main results are reported: (1) the prevention-focused benefit, which is a risk-aversion consideration, and the promotion-focused benefit, which is a taste and joy of quality, have higher influence compared to perceived concerns (price) on attitude towards GIL produce. (2) Compared to subjective norms, consumer attitude affects purchase intention more, yet the effects are opposite when they influence the WOM intentions. (3) Global identity impacts purchase intentions but not WOM intentions, whereas local identity influences both intentions.Originality/valueFindings indicate attitude, social influence and social identity play critical roles in affecting consumer behavioural intentions. Global identity and local identity play different roles in purchase intention and WOM intentions.