Antecedents of electric-vehicle repurchase intention: The application of customer commitment and anticipated regret

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are the future as their innovative technologies can help reduce global and local problems because electric energy originates from renewable sources. Though customers purchased EVs, it does not guarantee that they will rebuy. CEOs and marketers should grasp the significant commercial implications of boosting repurchase intention. Otherwise, when customers switch to competitors, companies face profit losses that can ultimately lead to product failure. This paper proposes a comprehensive model to elucidate the factors affecting EV repurchase intention. Hypothetical links among customer commitment, anticipated regret, and repurchase intention were established. Survey data from 453 Thai EV users was analyzed using the covariance-based SEM. Affective commitment was shown to influence EV repurchase intention both directly and indirectly through anticipated regret, whereas calculative commitment only exerted an indirect effect on EV repurchase intention. Conversely, normative commitment did not significantly predict anticipated regret or repurchase intention. The research contributions and implications are outlined to provide marketers and policymakers with opportunities to guide marketing strategies. The findings suggest that innovative technologies, environmental benefits, and relationship maintenance can help ensure customer commitment and anticipated regret.