Exploring the link between intention and behavior in consumer research

• Author: Madalina Balau
• Pages: 134-141

European Integration - Realities and Perspectives. Proceedings 2018

134

Exploring the Link between Intention

and Behavior in Consumer Research

Mădălina Bălău1

Abstract: In the attempts to predict or influence a change in consumer behavior, intention represents one

important element and it is considered a close proxy to the behavior itself. However, t here are several

perspectives on the role of intention on subsequent behavior; the objective of this article is to review several

perspectives on this role, starting from models frequently used in consumer research and enriching the

perspectives by discussing the influence of implementation intention and the effect of intent measurement on

product and brand actual buying behavior. The main findings are that intention is most frequently used in

research as a stable concept in t he mind of the consumers quite easy to measure, yet other perspectives

suggest that intention could easily change according to the context or even under the influence of the

measurement process. These competing perspectives need further exploration since the gap between behavior

predicted on intentions and actual behavior is still important. The current article contributes to the literature

on the conceptualization and measurement of intention and its main implications consist of insights for using

the concept of intention in marketing and consumer research aimed at predicting or changing behavior.

Keywords: intention-behavior link; consumer behavior; theory of planned behavior; implementation

intentions

JEL Classification: M30; M31; M39

1. Introduction

Explaining consumer behavior is a first step to being able to predict it or change it For most types of

interventions, whether we speak of marketing activity aimed at influencing consumers to buy new

products or services, or of changing certain kinds of social behaviors, like reducing aggressive

behavior of children in schools, the actors involved would like to know what determinants have most

impact as to leverage them. Today most behaviors also involve consumption behaviors, understood as

buying, using and also disposing off products. Some researchers link behavior to general attitudes of

personality traits of individuals, yet these factors only influence behavior indirectly. (Ajzen &

Fishbeing, 1980) Factors closer to the context and the behavior itself were considered to be better

proxies for explaining and predicting it, such is the case for the construct of intention.

The information about consumers’ intentions is often used by companies in predicting their future

marketing actions. In launching new products, firms frequently base their decisions on measured

purchase intentions. However, it was observed by various researchers (Auger & Devinney, 2007;

Carrington, Neville & Whitwell, 2010) that certain kinds of intentions seldom lead to the actual

enacting of the behavior: it is the situation of purchasing ethical products or of practicing health

promoting behaviors, such as reducing the sugar intake, exercising, eating fresh and seasonal food.

1 Senior Lecturer, PhD, DiSEDD Resear ch Cent er, Danubius University of Galati, Romania. Address: 3 Galati Blvd. , 800654

Galati, Romania. Tel.: +40.733.180.384, Corresponding author: madalina.balau@univ-danubius.ro.