You have full access to this open access article. Media reports that a company behaves in a socially nonresponsible manner frequently result in consumer participation in a boycott. As time goes by, however, the number of consumers participating in the boycott starts dwindling. Yet, little is known on why individual participation in a boycott declines and what type of consumer is more likely to stop boycotting earlier rather than later.
Using a diverse set of real contexts, four empirical studies provide evidence supporting a set of hypotheses on promotors and inhibitors of boycott participation over time.
Study 1 provides initial evidence for the influence of expressive and instrumental drivers in a food services context. Taken together, the findings help activists sustain boycott momentum and assist firms in dealing more effectively with boycotts.
In , a TV documentary on the substandard work conditions of employees who were subcontracted by a leading e-tailer evoked strong reactions with consumers in Germany, many of whom decided to boycott the company Spiegel. After a while, however, public outrage and boycott participation waned NTV. To date, however, researchers have not yet adopted an individual perspective on boycott participation to analyze promotors and inhibitors over time.
Does boycott participation decline because consumer aggrevation fades, because consumers continue disapproving the transgression but revert to old habits for the sake of convenience, or because they loose faith in their boycott making a difference? Activists as well as managers need insights into these questions to respond more adequately.
