Determinants of Consumer Purchase Intention in the Retail Sector: Evidence from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This study investigates the primary determinants of consumer purchase intention within the rapidly expanding retail sector of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As market competition intensifies, understanding the factors that drive consumers' willingness to buy is crucial for retailers. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior, the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, and Perceived Value Theory, the research proposes a conceptual model comprising five independent variables: perceived product quality, price fairness, brand trust, customer experience, and sales promotion. Employing a quantitative research design, empirical data was collected through a survey of 417 retail consumers in Ho Chi Minh City using a convenience sampling method. The collected data underwent rigorous statistical analysis using SPSS, which included reliability testing via Cronbach’s Alpha, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The empirical results reveal that all five examined factors have a significant and positive impact on consumer purchase intention, jointly explaining 68.1% of its variance. Notably, brand trust emerged as the strongest predictor of purchase intention, followed by perceived product quality, customer experience, price fairness, and sales promotion. The findings confirm that consumers prioritize trustworthiness, product excellence, and positive shopping experiences when making purchasing decisions. The study provides valuable theoretical contributions by integrating multiple retail-related determinants into a unified framework. Practically, it offers actionable insights for retailers and marketers to develop effective strategies focused on enhancing trust, optimizing product quality, and improving the overall customer experience to sustain a competitive advantage in Vietnam's dynamic retail market.