An investigation of the effects of product recalls on brand commitment and purchase intention

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how product recalls affect brand commitment and post-recall purchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach

The role of consumer and product recall characteristics based on attribution theory is tested using data collected through experiments and analyzed using a type of finite mixture model.

Findings

Results indicate varying effects of product recalls on commitment across these four customer groups and a strong effect of affective commitment on post-recall purchase behavior.

Originality/value

This paper proposes four types of consumers based on dichotomous levels of affective and calculative commitment, namely, Hard Cores, Don’t-Cares, Lovers and Rationalists, and shows how product recalls affect these consumer groups differently, and how this information assists brand managers in developing post-product recall consumer management strategies.

Citation

Byun, K.-A. and Dass, M. (2015), "An investigation of the effects of product recalls on brand commitment and purchase intention", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-06-2014-1000