Foundations and Trends® in Marketing > Vol 7 > Issue 3

Consumers' Purchase Intentions and their Behavior

By Vicki Morwitz, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, USA, vmorwitz@stern.nyu.edu

 
Suggested Citation
Vicki Morwitz (2014), "Consumers' Purchase Intentions and their Behavior", Foundations and Trends® in Marketing: Vol. 7: No. 3, pp 181-230. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/1700000036

Publication Date: 13 Nov 2014
© 2014 V. Morwitz
 
Subjects
Econometric models,  Measurement error in survey data,  Panel data,  B2B Marketing,  Individual Decision Making,  Market Forecasting,  Market Segmentation,  Sales Forecasting,  Electoral behavior,  Political participation,  Political psychology
 
Keywords
M31 Marketing
Consumer behavior, Purchase intentions, Sales forecasting
 

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In this article:
1. Introduction 
2. Importance of Understanding Purchase Intentions for Marketing Managers 
3. Do Marketing Actions that Change Purchase Intentions in a Market Research Study Ultimately Change Behavior in the Marketplace? 
4. Why are Purchase Intentions an Imperfect Measure of What Consumers Do? Factors that Impact the Strength of the Relationship between Intentions and Behavior 
5. Forecasting from Purchase Intentions — Best Practices for Marketers 
6. General Discussion 
References 

Abstract

Purchase intentions are frequently measured and used by marketing managers as an input for decisions about new and existing products and services. Purchase intentions are correlated and predict future sales, but do so imperfectly. I review and summarize research on the relationship between purchase intentions and sales that has been conducted over the past 60 years. This review offers insights into how best to measure purchase intentions, how to forecast sales from purchase intentions measures, and why purchase intentions do not always translate into sales.

DOI:10.1561/1700000036

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ISBN: 978-1-60198-880-5
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Table of contents:
1. Introduction
2. Importance of Understanding Purchase Intentions for Marketing Managers
3. Do Marketing Actions that Change Purchase Intentions in a Market Research Study Ultimately Change Behavior in the Marketplace?
4. Why are Purchase Intentions an Imperfect Measure of What Consumers Do? Factors that Impact the Strength of the Relationship between Intentions and Behavior
5. Forecasting from Purchase Intentions — Best Practices for Marketers
6. General Discussion
References

Consumers' Purchase Intentions and their Behavior

Consumers' Purchase Intentions and Their Behavior reviews the relevant literature on purchase intentions in marketing, and more generally on the intentions-behavior relationship in social psychology, since purchase intentions are a particular form of the more general construct of intentions. Starting with the importance of purchase intentions to marketing managers, the author then focuses on reviewing the literature that provides an understanding of how strong the relationship between purchase intentions and purchasing is, what factors influence the strength of the relationship between purchase intentions and purchasing, and how a marketing manager should best use purchase intentions to forecast future sales.

 
MKT-036