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This paper seeks to develop a theory and a practical qualitative modeling tool that accurately predicts the probability that an industrial sales lead will convert to a booking based on observable lead characteristics and one that can be used by a typical sales manager.

Past lead characterization models were reviewed and gaps and weaknesses examined. A qualitative model of lead characterization and qualification was then developed based upon the determinants of customer purchase decisions.

In total, 16 commonly available lead characteristics that represent proxies for the eight determinants of industrial customer purchase decisions were identified. These were adapted to a scoring model that enables sales and marketing personnel to assess the probability that a lead will convert to a booking.

Different companies use different criteria and different weighting factors for making purchase decisions; therefore, no single quantitative lead characterization model will be accurate for all companies. The proposed model has not yet been formally field validated, but that is planned for future work.

The qualitative model proposed herein is more comprehensive than previous models and should thus prove more accurate. This should prove useful to sales and marketing managers, who need to forecast bookings and sales, optimally allocate resources, and structure marketing and promotion efforts for maximum return.

Several lead characterization models have been proposed in the past, but none are based upon sound theory and none have been field validated. Use of this work should significantly increase selling effectiveness as well as the accuracy of sales projections.

Brands have traditionally been regarded as a key asset and a source of competitive advantage in purchasing decisions, as customers are expected to prefer stronger brands to minimize risks. However, the role of brands in business markets is unclear and underresearched. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relevance of brands in a business-to-business (B2B) purchase setting and their key determinants.

A research model was developed to explain brand relevance when compared with other decision factors in a B2B context. Based on the frameworks developed by Zablah et al. (2010) and Mudambi (2002), the model considers the purchase situation, decision-maker characteristics and firm size as determinants of brand relevance in the decision-making process. One of the most prominent Portuguese construction groups, which comprised three companies, was chosen for the sample of this study. Data were collected through a self-administered, online, cross-sectional survey, resulting in a convenience sample of 87 decision-makers.

Findings suggest that attributes related with brands matter even in B2B rational decision-making processes. However, brands are not important to all organizational buyers or in all situations. Different purchase situations and decision-maker characteristics proved to have an impact on brand relevance, namely, brand reputation, prior purchases and brand awareness. Only firm size was not confirmed as a determinant of brand relevance in the B2B purchasing process.

B2B brand research is scarce, especially for industrial services. By investigating the determinants of brand relevance in a B2B purchasing context, namely, in a construction services setting, this study contributes to bridging this literature gap. Moreover, the few studies on the subject have been largely descriptive in nature and managerially oriented, while this investigation emphasizes hypothesis testing through a proposed research framework. Also, in managerial terms, identifying determinants of the importance given to brands by organizational buyers is critical in deciding when investment in brand development is more likely to payoff.

This paper seeks to develop a conceptual model that enables understanding of consumer purchase decisions in relation to the first customized products, including steps of the decision process, determinants, and consequences of each step.

The classic grounded theory approach was used.

The study found that the process consists of six steps called knowledge learning and preliminary information searching, problem recognition, budget setting, detailed information searching and solution creating, purchase involvement, and use and post‐purchase. The process is distinct from the process of traditional models of consumer decision mainly from three aspects: the process starting from “knowledge learning and information searching”, not from “problem recognition”, while “problem recognition” is the second step; information searched in the process mainly on components of products, with little on products; and the process includes a step “solution creating”, but without steps “alternative evaluation” and “choice”. The consequences of the first step consist of knowledge mastered, market information acquired, pre‐decisions, perceived value of customized PC, positive attitude towards customized PC, and self‐confidence, which are the main determinants of the following steps. Besides these determinants, others included are interest, curiosity, work with computers as tools, sources of knowledge and information on PC, and income.

The study provides a foundation for future quantitative research on determinants of consumers' purchasing the first customized products and provides insights into marketing: for example, target consumers of customized PC are characterized at least by having great self‐confidence in their capability to make an effective decision in purchasing customized PC, and having mastered enough PC knowledge.

Across a variety of domains, consumers are demanding increased customized products. While consumer decision making has become a prominent research topic in various fields of marketing and consumer science over the past decades, surprisingly little research has examined consumer purchase decisions in relation to the first customized personal computer (PC) and factors influencing such a process. The study may fill this gap.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the category‐level differences of both risk perception and brand loyalty effects on consumer proneness towards buying private label brands (PLBs).

This paper extends the work of Batra and Sinha by also examining the PLB effects of brand loyalty and price‐quality by product category using a mall‐intercept survey.

The results indicate that quality variability, price consciousness, price‐quality association and brand loyalty influence consumer proneness to buy PLBs. In addition, income, education and household size are moderators of PLB purchasing.

This research confirms the importance of price consciousness and quality variability on PLB purchasing. The importance of these determinants depends on both the product category and the PLB market share within the category.

Retailers and manufacturers need to consider the effects of PLB in relation to the product category. For retailers, the value of a PLB is less relevant in some categories but appealing to the price conscious consumer is important. Manufacturers should note in some categories that brand loyalty is important but not as much as price consciousness. Customer income is still an important determinant of PLB purchasing.

The paper shows that it is important to consider product category differences which make it more difficult to generalize about PLB purchasing.

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of product category and consumers’ motivations profiles on the determinants of consumers’ preferences and purchase intentions of counterfeits and genuine products, through manipulation of product attributes and purchase situations.

The study relies on an experimental design involving a questionnaire on a convenience sample with two parts: a tradeoff model manipulating three attributes, product type (genuine vs. counterfeit), price (high vs. low) and place of purchase (regular shop, Internet and market) in two product categories, and a scale measuring motivations to purchase counterfeits. Ranking and purchase intentions are analyzed using conjoint analysis and generalized linear mixed model (GLMM).

Ranking reveals a dominant pattern of consumer behavior regarding counterfeiting: product type, price and place of purchase. Product category has a moderating effect on choice criteria: relative importance of place of purchase and price varies according product category. Consumers’ motivations profiles have also a moderating effect on consumer behavior. Some profiles are more receptive to copies. Consumers’ profiles exhibit different hierarchies of purchase criteria and may change them depending upon product category.

Results challenge literature on the dominant role of price among choice criteria. Price alone cannot determine a counterfeit purchase. It is the interaction of price, place of purchase or product type that explains such a behavior. Product category matters: Price and place of purchase importance cannot be considered without accounting for product category. Consumers’ motivations profile matters. Consumers are not homogeneous face to counterfeits.

This paper aims to investigate the consumption and actual purchase behaviour of Malaysian food consumers who have experienced of buying imported food and to compare the differences between two groups, Muslim and non-Muslim.

This study collected data from the imported food buyers in Malaysia using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 435 usable responses were used for further analysis. To identify the Malaysian consumers’ imported food consumption, exploratory factor analysis was used. A t-test and χ² test were applied to compare the difference of consumer groups between Muslim and non-Muslims.

The results have found the determinants of imported food purchasing of both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers and the most perceived quality aspects related to their food lifestyles. Malaysian consumers, regardless of religion, are most affected by the intrinsic factors like nutrients, health functionality and freshness. Muslim consumers also mostly perceive taste as a quality aspect regarding to their food lifestyles.

This study provides a number of potentially important and valuable resources for the manufacturer or exporters seeking to enter the Malaysian food market. Imported food into Malaysia should adopt the customised strategies through the products emphasising health benefits and tastes to achieve maximum marketing results.

This paper contributes important information about imported food consumption of Malaysian consumers. Therefore, it will be useful for food manufacturers or exporters from in particular non-Muslim countries to understand Muslim consumers’ perception and purchasing behaviour towards imported food.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of consumers’ collectivism and long-term orientation (LTO) cultural values on their purchase intention in relation to environment-friendly products.

This research adopts a hypo-deductive research design. A unique conceptual model was developed by linking cultural values to key determinants of green purchase behaviour. This model was then tested using a quantitative survey of 682 shoppers in popular Vietnamese electrical appliance stores.

Analysis using structural equation modelling reveals that consumers with greater adherence to collectivism and LTO tend to engage in green purchase behaviour owing to their positive environmental attitudes, strong subjective norms and tolerance of inconvenience associated with eco-friendly product purchase. Gender is found to moderate the relationship between the determinants and purchase intention.

Marketers including manufacturers and policymakers must endeavour (change globally) to reduce or eliminate perceived inconvenience associated with green purchases. They should also effectively communicate messages stressing that eco-friendly product purchases are crucial for environmental protection and benefit consumer groups including family, peers and society in the long-run.

This research is the first of its kind which links consumers’ cultural values at a personal level to all the elements of the theory of planned behaviour. This research also extends current knowledge about green purchase behaviour in emerging markets by focussing on Vietnam.

Determinants of internet adoption in industrial purchase have rarely been paid attention in the literature. Considering this gap in the literature, the present study intends to approach the factors that determine the use of the internet as a source of information in procurement.

This research analyzes whether different internet tools are used throughout the phases in the purchasing process and, at the same time, whether the characteristics of the buying situation determine the use of the internet in that process. The survey is based on an e‐mailed questionnaire sent to a sample of 103 Spanish firms.

In general, different uses of the internet tools are not observed in the different stages of the buying process. However, the characteristics of purchasing situations (novelty, complexity, perceived risk, time pressure and personal stake) at each buying situation make possible an explanation of the use of different internet tools throughout the different phases in purchasing.

The results of this paper show that there are implications for practitioners related to the core hypotheses of the research. The contingency approach employed in the study makes it easier to adapt the different internet tools (web pages, intranet development or adoption of videoconference technology) to the specific characteristics of the buying situation in which they are primarily used. On the other hand, the main limitation of this research lies in the composition of the sample, so that it could be considered suitable to extend the study to different product lines and to decisions on service contracts in the near future.

This research analyzes whether different internet tools are used throughout the phases in the purchasing process and, at the same time, whether the characteristics of the buying situation determine the use of the internet in that process.

The study aims to propose a systematic and innovative model of purchase intention development that integrates Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with its main extensions and clarifies the logical status of the variables involved and the structure of the causal path.

The TPB is the most useful predictive model of purchase intentions, which can be viewed as the product of various psychological determinants. Previous works have proposed extensions of the TPB model to selectively include knowledge, trust or social norms, but an integrated proposal has not yet been formulated. Based on a survey in four European countries (Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK; N = 1,035), this study tests the process of organic vegetable purchase intention development using a structural equation model (SEM). This comprises part of the measurement of latent variables and part of the analysis of dependency relationships (MLR estimation method).

The results show that purchase intention for organic vegetables is primarily dependent on positive moral attitude (PoMA) towards such consumption. The inclusion of PoMA reduces the effect of attitude toward buying organic vegetables, but the effects of social norms, past behaviour and perceived behavioural control remain significant.

This study proposes an innovative model to explain purchase intention for organic vegetables that incorporates the key current extensions of the TPB model (knowledge, trust and PoMA) into an integrated causal pathway. Understanding the relationships between the antecedents of purchase intention provides relevant information on “what” needs to be improved and “where” interventions are needed to steer consumers towards organic food.

This paper aims to explore consumers' perception of quality of new processed beef products and the role of expected and experienced quality in the formation of consumer's purchase intentions. Based on the Total Food Quality Model, a conceptual framework is developed that relates cue evaluation, expected quality, experienced quality, purchase motive fulfilment and purchase intention.

Structural equation modeling is used to test the framework with data from a sample of 201 respondents, involving three steps. First, principal component analyses were applied to explore underlying factor structures within each construct. Based on the exploratory factor analyses, measurement models were estimated, with the measured variables as indicators of latent constructs for all the four products. Finally, structural models were estimated for the relationships among the latent constructs.

Results show that cue evaluations, expected/experienced quality and purchase motive fulfilment are all predictors of purchase intention, but that their weight and causal structure differ between purchase intentions before and after trial.

Implications for the introduction of new beef products are discussed.

This paper is an attempt to quantitatively estimate the relationships between quality cues, expected and experienced quality, and purchase motives as determinants of purchase intention for new products using structural equation modeling.