Navigating the Field of Contemporary Political Consumerism: Consumer Boycott and Consumer Buycott Vistas

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand and compare the two growing forms of contemporary political consumerism, boycott and buycott, in competitive marketplace. We used an existential-phenomenology approach and conducted 15 in-depth interviews. This resulted in 75 boycott and buycott consumption experiences and 229 pages of interview transcripts. Content analysis shows that consumers perceive boycott and buycott as two distinct actions. They differ in terms of goal orientation (avoidance vs. approach), ease of participation, as well as consumer information search and learning style. Further, we identify similar and unique motivational factors for boycott and buycott. Specifically, we show motivations within individual context, boycott activity context, and societal context. Strong evidence indicates that, within individual context, motivations relating to self-enhancement, required resources and associated costs are important for both boycott and buycott consumerism. Motivations within societal context also seems to be relevant for both types of consumerism. However, only the motivations within the boycott activity context were found in this study. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.