Purchase Intentions for Food Products Under Different CRM Campaign Settings: An Empirical Evidence from Poland

Purpose: Purchase intentions determined by a range of factors can be considered as a proxy indication of potential market demand. Declared consumer willingness to buy products does not necessarily translates into effective demand, nonetheless, constitutes valuable information on how buyers may react when products are offered, and the purchases are intertwined with charity donation. In the article and results of the author’s own empirical analysis regarding determinants of purchase intentions under hypothetical cause-related marketing campaigns are presented in the context of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The aim of the study was to examine importance of cause involvement, attitudes towards campaign, and attitude toward helping in shaping purchase intentions for food products under different antidiabetic CRM campaign settings. Design/Methodology/Approach: A 2×2 experimental design (product type: hedonic vs. utilitarian × donation size: small vs. large) was employed. Data were collected via a self-administered survey carried out among Polish consumers who completed 439 questionnaires. Robustness of the results was confirmed through calculations of factor loading, Cronbach’s alpha, and composite reliability parameters. Latent variables were measured using validated scales and their impact on purchase intention was assessed applying logistic regression. Findings: It was found out that in case of frequently purchased food products such as yoghurt and ice cream cause involvement positively influence purchase intentions, no matter the product type and donation size. Attitude toward helping, regardless donation size, increases odds of intention to buy the hedonic product (ice cream) as well as the utilitarian product (yoghurt) offered with small donation whereas attitude toward campaign increases odds of intention to buy only when the utilitarian product is considered. Practical Implications: To optimize CRM campaigns, marketers should align causes with consumer values to leverage cause involvement. For utilitarian products campaigns should focus on positive attitudes toward CRM initiatives, while for hedonic products appeals should address altruistic benefits. Large donations are not recommended for utilitarian goods as they may weaken purchase intentions. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by investigating costly, consumer-funded donations in Poland, where according to Authors’ knowledge such empirical research has not been conducted yet. Therefore, it helps to fill existing gap regarding international comparisons of the CRM campaigns potential effects. Moreover, the research extends the TPB by integrating cause involvement as a pivotal construct as well as reveals product-type asymmetries in CRM effectiveness.