Washington, Dec 14 : Stating an intention leads consumers to action-and makes them more likely to purchase their preferred brands, according to a new study.

"Simply responding to an intention question has the potential to activate an intention," explained researchers Anneleen Van Kerckhove, Maggie Geuens, and Iris Vermeir (Ghent University).

"The activation of an intention next changes how easily certain brands come to mind, which then influences brand choices," he said.

In a series of studies the researchers had participants fill in a questionnaire on their preferences among fictitious or existing candy bar brands.

Some participants answered an "intention question" (How likely are you to purchase a candy bar in the near future?), while others answered an attitude question (How positive or negative are you about the candy bars available to you?).

"Those who responded to an intention question were more likely to choose the brand they previously indicated they preferred the most, irrespective of whether they were asked immediately after the intention question to make a brand choice decision or whether there was a delay between filling in the intention question and making the brand choice decision," the researchers stated.

Consumers are motivated to fulfil their intentions, and this motivation narrows their focus.

"The intention puts the intention-related brand to the front of consumers' minds and pushes other well-liked brands to the back until the consumer has accomplished the intention," the authors noted.

"To the best of our knowledge, these research findings provide the first evidence for the role of a motivational component in the occurrence of the question-behaviour effect," they added.

The finding appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research. (ANI)