Understanding purchase intention in SARS-CoV-2 medication industry: moderating roles of technological competency

Purpose SARS-CoV-2 medications are produced to cure and prevent COVID-19 patients from heavily ill. However, this medical industry cannot maintain its business sustainability and success if there is uncertainty about consumer purchase intention because purchase intention has significant associations with actual product purchases. Therefore, all medical firms have to investigate factors influencing consumers’ intention to purchase the SARS-CoV-2 medications. This study aims to examine how perceived quality, consumer trust and perceived quality influence purchase intention and technological competency as the moderators. Design/methodology/approach A total of 800 patients whom COVID-19 previously infected were invited to join the survey via questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using a path analysis technique. Findings Results indicated that consumer trust was influenced by perceived quality and country of origin. Furthermore, purchase intention was influenced by consumer trust and perceived quality, except for the country of origin. Finally, technological competency strengthened the relationships between perceived quality and purchase intention and between consumer trust and purchase intention. Originality/value The exploration of this research provided more knowledge regardless of how all related factors influenced consumer purchase decisions. Thus, this enables the related industry to understand their consumers’ insights, which helps them create an effective marketing campaign to introduce their products to the market.