Does intent to transact really lead to a purchase decision?
: an experimental approach based on electronic media stimuli

  • Imran Munawar Qureshi

    Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis

    Abstract

    The development of new media and associated technologies are continuing unabated. Their social diffusion has given rise to new challenges and opportunities in all areas of human endeavor. Marketing as a field is also facing the challenge of moving to E-Marketing. Most of the theories of Consumer Behavior was developed in an environment where only traditional media were present. This study is an effort to test whether some of the established stages and processes developed in traditional media environments happen in the same manner or not. This study specifically focuses on the translation of a purchase intent, purchase intention or intent to transact or intention to transact into an actual transaction (purchase) in new media environments where eM-Stimuli trigger the process. Furthermore, the role of trust is also explored in this process. Findings of the study suggest a strong link that intent is highly likely to convert into an actual transaction in an eM-stimuli induced environment. Trust does not have a strong have a direct effect but it does exert a considerable background influence on the likelihood of converting intent to an actual purchase. Most important dimension of trust to manage for E-Marketing success is institutional trust. There is a definite impact of carrier platform, like SMS, Email, Web banner Ad, Social Networking Sites, used to carry stimuli through new media. The chances of converting intent into an actual purchase also vary based on the carrier platforms used for disseminating a particular eM-stimulus. These results provide significant guidelines for practitioners to design E-Marketing strategies that would be far more effective in generating purchase. This study empirically VI reinforces the assertion that intent should more often than not lead to an actual purchase as postulated in the field of Marketing. More so, it makes a fundamental contribution to E-Commerce and E-Marketing by empirically confirming the fact that intent can lead to an actual purchase in an eM-stimuli induced purchase environment. Furthermore, this study opens up a new avenue addressing the overall effectiveness of an eM-stimulus through different new media platforms. This may help practitioners in developing strategies for developing effective E-Marketing campaigns that can cut through the bubble and induce a purchase from current and/or potential customers. Key Words: Marketing, Consumer behavior, E-Marketing, Trust, Cognitive Model, Humanistic Models, Purchasing Behavior, Purchase Decision, Actual Purchase, Intent to Purchase (Intention) Consumer Decision-Making Theories, E Marketing Stimuli, eM-stimuli, New Media Platforms, New Media Environments.
    Date of AwardNov 2016
    Original languageEnglish
    Awarding Institution
    • Iqra University
    SupervisorZeeshan Ahmed Bhatti (Supervisor)

    Cite this

    '