NEUROMARKETING AND UNDERSTANDING ANTECEDENTS OF CONSUMER SWITCHING INTENSIONS—A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Abstract

This article proposes to study theories of neuromarketing and consumer decision making to understand how neuromarketing can add insights to existing theories in consumer switching intensions. This systematic literature review will suggest how neuromarketing methods can be used to understand the consumer switching intensions and explore the known side of consumer behaviour. This paper help build platform for neurosciences that can facilitates better theory development and empirical testing by considering the biological and social context and the role of how these variables may influences on consumer while taking decision. This literature review also highlights need for new marketing tools and methods needed to understand switching behaviour pattern and causal variables for igniting switching intensions. Neuromarketing research may shed light on many unanswered questions regarding consumers switching intensions thus this study aims at identifying variables, degree, and direction for future research to understand deep aspects of switching intentions.

Purpose – Neuromarketing research may shed light on many unanswered questions regarding consumers switching intensions thus this study aims at identifying variables, degree, and direction for future research to understand deep aspects of switching intentions. We argue that neuromarketing provides constraints to facilitate better understanding of consumer switching intensions, provided new empirical test of standards and findings, theoretical claims, can provide explanation for observed explanation for observed heterogeneity within across consumers and can provide a mechanism for considering the social and biological context and the roles of constructs like perceptions, biases, emotional factors, stimuli, reward, reputations, colours, lifestyle impacts on consumer switching decisions. The primary objective of this article is to appeal to a broad population and encourage them for further study in this critical area which is currently unaddressed.

Design/methodology/approach – The study refers the literature review conducted in this paper applies the guidelines set by (Webster and Watson,2002) and (Vom Brocke et al.,2009). Therefore, the literature search begun with a search word switching intentions using various Sites, Databases, Google Scholars, AiSel, ResearchGate, Journals of Neurosciences and Springer. The initial search yielded 250 articles of which only 46 could be regarded as consumer decision behaviour and switching intensions and related to neuromarketing.  The study adopts a theoretical approach grounded in theoretical foundations of switching intensions and decision making along with practical illustrations from the industry.

Findings –Based on systematic literature review, concepts that are predictors of customer switching intensions are identified. The various major variables identified under the subcategory of variables of social and biological variable are listed under the framework of neuromarketing. These variables are the triggers for customer perceptions and thought process towards consumer decision making which ultimately leads to the consumer switching decisions. The social and biological variables are the independent variables which plays a critical role in impacting the decision making of the consumers. Switching intension is the dependent variable which is the ultimate result of the independent variables. This study identifies variables responsible for the switching decision. Our study will set basis to explore evidences of neuro marketing in consumer switching intensions in durable segments.

Practical implications – In this paper, literature review in the field of consumer decision-making and switching decisions are explored, and research in this domain was discussed for in-depth understanding of the process, theories and models used by various researcher to establish neuromarketing as trusted tool in understanding consumer behaviour. Still it is a “dark spot” for marketers to know the reasons and what exactly prompts purchasing decisions along with the reasons to switch.

Originality/value –This paper is an original contribution of authors and have high value in new field of neuromarketing which has limited literature available for marketing practise