Robert East

Green marketing and Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour: a cross-market examination

Examines the determinants that influence consumers’ intention to buy environmentally friendly products. Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB) provides the conceptual framework of the research and the appropriateness of the theory and is tested in two distinct market conditions (UK and Greece). Although the findings offer considerable support for the robustness of the TPB in explaining intention in both samples, there is some indication that the theory is more appropriate in well established markets that are characterised by clearly formulated behavioural patterns (i.e. the model fitting elements of the UK sample are superior to the corresponding ones obtained from the Greek sample). The results are consistent with previous research on moral behaviour.

Investment decisions and the theory of planned behaviour

Abstract Three studies of application for shares in privatised British industries are reported. Study 1 was on the regional electricity companies, Study 2 was on the electricity generating companies and Study 3 was on the second tranche of shares in British Telecom. The studies applied Ajzens (1991) theory of planned behaviour. In each case the application for shares was accurately predicted by measured intention. Intention was in turn explained by attitude, subjective norm, perceived control and past behaviour. At a more specific level the research demonstrated the strong influence of friends and relatives and the importance of easy access to funds as well as the financial criteria of profit and security of investment. The research was used to test aspects of planned behaviour theory and two matters were considered in detail. The first matter was the conditions under which a measure of perceived control improved on the prediction of behaviour obtained from intention alone. The second matter was the association between product sum variables and globally measured variables; in the theory these are equated but rather low correlations are often found.

Loyalty to supermarkets

We report results form a mail survey of loyalty among supermarket customers. Most findings are consistent with previous research but the study does not support earlier evidence that store loyalty is associated with low economic and educational status. The research shows that store-loyal people more often come from the 25–44 year-old age group and that they prefer large out-of-town supermarkets.

Consumer Loyalty: Singular, Additive or Interactive?

Abstract Consumer loyalty may be defined as a singular concept, usually as an attitude toward the loyalty object or as repeatpatronage behaviour; alternatively, the definition may combine attitude and behaviour in either an additive or an interactive expression. We argue that definitions of loyalty are useful if they predict phenomena such as recommendation, search and retention (loyalty outcomes). In three consumer fields, we find that combination measures of customer loyalty often perform poorly as predictors of loyalty outcomes compared with singular measures since recommendation is predicted by attitude but not by repeat patronage, whereas retention and search behaviour are predicted better by repeat patronage than by attitude. We also find that the prediction of loyalty outcomes is not improved by the inclusion of an interaction term in the model. On this evidence, we argue that combination concepts of loyalty are of limited value. Further, we find that there is no form of loyalty that consistently predicts all the different loyalty outcomes and, therefore, we should abandon the idea of a general concept of loyalty.

Decision Making and Habit in Shopping Times

Reports on the results from a consumer survey of shopping trips to supermarkets in England and Wales. Most people exhibit habits about when they do their main trip to the supermarket: 61 per cent have a usual day and 67 per cent a usual time of day. Most shoppers state that they could shop at other times but give reasons for their actual times that reflect situational pressures such as the pattern of work and nearness to the weekend. Many people state that they deliberately avoid busy shopping times and the survey showed that a small number of these people do so. However, there was no significant tendency for those who dislike checkout delay to shop at quieter times than for those who are tolerant of this delay. Store operators cannot change the main situational factors that control the time of use of stores and this limits their ability to influence when people shop. Nevertheless, the survey indicated that some increase in the use of off‐peak times could be achieved by permanent in‐store changes and bett...

The Erosion of Repeat-Purchase Loyalty

A large-scale longitudinal analysis is used to study the repeat-purchase rates of brand buyers in stationary markets. The data cover the leading brands in a number of frequently purchased grocery categories in three countries. We find that, in the medium term, there is a systematic but limited loss of repeat-purchase loyalty; across nine markets, erosion (the proportionate fall in repeat-purchase loyalty) averages 15 percent in the first year for the brands studied. Erosion does not differ by weight of purchase: similar rates are found for light, medium, and heavy buyer-segments. Brand leaders are found to have a lower erosion than smaller brands.

Correlates of first‐brand loyalty

A mail survey of British supermarket customers shows that the factor most strongly associated with claimed brand loyalty is household income Brand loyal customers also claim to spend more, are more concerned about quality and less about price, are slightly more store loyal and make more use of large out‐of‐town stores Brand loyalty is also related to age; those aged under 25 years and 65 + years are less loyal There is little difference between those who are primarily loyal to store brands and those who are primarily loyal to manufacturer brands, and there is little evidence that store patronage is raised by loyalty to store brands

Complaining as planned behavior

Two investigations of complaining were conducted within the framework of planned behavior theory. The intention to complain was associated with “confidence about complaining” and “standing up for ones rights” as well as with the prospect of getting a refund or replacement product. These findings indicate that complaining may be assisted when firms, in addition to providing redress, make sure that the expression of complaint is an easy, accepted, and predictable part of buyer–seller interaction. The theory of planned behavior was not well supported. Model fits were moderate and there were anomalous associations between belief products and global variables. The investigations used scenarios and, in one condition, the scenario appeared to produce a strong and unexpected shift in responses that could have occurred as a result of priming. This effect raises some doubt about the reliability of scenario methods.

Testing the market maven concept

Market mavens are people who are more likely to advise others about a range of goods and services. This study explores the concept of the maven, which we test in three ways. First, we examine whether those who score highly on mavenism also score highly on self-reported advice about three disparate categories (testing the range of advice). Second, we examine whether the personality and motivational characteristics of male mavens are similar to those of female mavens (testing whether mavenism has the same bases in the two sexes). Finally, we test whether those who have a high score on mavenism have substantially different motivational characteristics compared with those with a low score. Our findings give indifferent support to the maven concept. We find only a modest association between self-reported advice giving and mavenism, we find that the personality characteristics of male mavens differ from those of female mavens, and we find that the motivational differences between mavens and non-mavens are not very substantial.

In praise of retrospective surveys

Some important issues in marketing require the use of retrospective surveys. But, despite the lack of suitable alternative methods, retrospective survey-based research tends to be given short shrift by journal editors and is treated harshly in review processes. The goal of this paper is to acknowledge justifiable criticisms, see to what extent these criticisms can be addressed or contained, and to foster an inclusive approach to the use of retrospective surveys – especially for the investigation of those important issues that cannot be studied systematically in any other way. Examples are drawn from word of mouth (WOM) research – an area where retrospective surveys have been an indispensible method for gaining knowledge.