CONSUMER BOYCOTT ISSUES, PURCHASE INTENTION, AND PURCHASE DECISIONS EVIDENCE FROM UNILEVER CONSUMERS IN INDONESIA)

Abstrak

This study examines the relationships among perceived consumer boycott issues, purchase intention, and purchase decisions in the context of Unilever products in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. It uses a quantitative cross-sectional survey of 130 respondents who were aware of the boycott issue and had experience using or purchasing Unilever products. The model was estimated using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The structural results show positive and statistically significant associations for boycott issues with purchase intention (β = 0.972, t = 2.744, p = 0.006) and purchase decision (β = 0.602, t = 5.017, p < 0.001), while purchase intention is positively associated with purchase decision (β = 0.387, t = 4.105, p < 0.001). The positive boycott-related coefficients are counterintuitive because boycott motivation is theoretically avoidance-oriented. We therefore interpret them cautiously as associations produced by the operationalized boycott-issue construct, which combines campaign intensity, boycott intention, boycott participation, and access to substitutes. The study contributes contextual evidence from an Indonesian urban market and highlights the need to distinguish boycott exposure, boycott intention, boycott participation, target-brand purchase intention, and substitute-brand purchase intention in future research.

Penelitian ini mengkaji hubungan antara persepsi mengenai isu boikot konsumen, niat pembelian, dan keputusan pembelian dalam konteks produk Unilever di Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Studi menggunakan survei kuantitatif cross-sectional terhadap 130 responden yang mengetahui isu boikot dan pernah menggunakan atau membeli produk Unilever. Model diestimasi menggunakan partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Hasil menunjukkan hubungan positif dan signifikan antara isu boikot dan niat pembelian (β = 0,972; t = 2,744; p = 0,006), isu boikot dan keputusan pembelian (β = 0,602; t = 5,017; p < 0,001), serta niat pembelian dan keputusan pembelian (β = 0,387; t = 4,105; p < 0,001). Arah positif pada jalur isu boikot bersifat tidak intuitif karena motivasi boikot secara teoretis berorientasi pada penghindaran. Oleh karena itu, hasil tersebut ditafsirkan secara hati-hati sebagai hubungan yang dihasilkan oleh operasionalisasi konstruk isu boikot yang menggabungkan intensitas kampanye, niat boikot, partisipasi boikot, dan akses terhadap produk pengganti. Kontribusi penelitian terletak pada bukti kontekstual dari pasar perkotaan Indonesia serta penegasan pentingnya membedakan paparan boikot, niat boikot, partisipasi boikot, niat pembelian merek sasaran, dan niat pembelian merek pengganti.