Introduction

There are numerous factors that determine the actual purchases that the clients make. The intentions range from personal decision to influence from other people. The correlation that exist between each factor that the purchases that clients make should be understood for good marketing strategy. It has been argued that the correlation that there exists a correlation amid the purchases that various customers make in the market and their intention purchases though it has been brought out clearly. The paper examines the correlations that exist between the buying intentions and the actual purchases. To examine the correlations, data was collected from one supermarket in US through interview. Many customers were interview and the responses noted.

Hypothesis

a) The aggregate buying intentions and aggregate purchases are positively related.

b) Relation exists between the surprises and purchases net of buying intentions. Purchase net depends on surprises.

c) There is a relationship between buying intentions and purchases of household durables and of automobiles.

Methodology of the research

The basic objective of this research is analysis and evaluation of consumer intentions to buy durable goods. For each of the 6 consumer durable (ranging from new automobiles to garbage disposal units) the subsequent purchases rates of households who reported buying intentions (intenders) and those who do not (non-intenders) are summarized. Purchase rates are calculated for both six and twelve months subsequent to the intention survey, and for seven alternatives intender-non-intender classification based on the differences in the type of intentions question asked. The following are the questions.

A1 (which among the following products do you intend to buy in next 12 months) B1 (product that x will buy in 12 months) B1 (product x plans to buy in next y6 months) B2 (products x plans to buy later) C(products x plans to buy in the next12 months) C2)(products x plans to buy in the next 12 months if income increases) C3( products to be bought in the next 12 months if the income reduces) D1 (products x plans to buy in 12 months time) E1 (products x plans to buy before next five months) E1(products x plans to buy within next three months and a year from now).

The first eight columns contain the raw data on purchases and buying intentions. Columns 1 and 2 show the number of purchases, per hundred respondents, for the sample as a whole during the six months and twelve months, respectively, following the intentions survey. Column 3 shows the total number of the intenders, again per hundred respondents, while columns 4 and 5 show the number of intenders who purchased within six and twelve months, respectively. Columns 6, 7 and 8 contain comparable data for non-intenders- total number per hundred, and of these, the number purchasing within six and twelve months.

The remaining 8 columns contain statistics based on these data. Columns 9 and 10 show purchase rates among intenders and non-intenders, respectively, for the six-month period; columns 11 and 12 list the same statistic for the twelve –month period. Column 13 and 14 show the proportion of the total accounted for by intenders during the six-month and the twelve-month periods, and the last two columns show the simple correlation between intentions and purchases for the respective purchase periods.