Consumer Boycotts: A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

Abstract

Although consumer boycotts have been of considerable interest to theorists and practitioners, social scientific knowledge about them is limited. This article seeks to advance scholarly understanding by developing a taxonomy of boycott actions, and by identifying factors believed likely to influence their effectiveness in furthering the consumer interest as well as other interests. The analytical framework draws distinctions between media‐oriented and marketplace‐oriented boycotts as well as those against surrogate targets vs. nonsurrogate targets. The article presents an action‐oriented research agenda and an assessment of the likely future for consumer boycotts in advancing the consumer interest.