Intentions and Actual Behavior of E-Commerce Adopters: An Empirical Study of the Turkish E-Commerce Market

Abstract

This study addresses a fundamental critique of behavioral economics—the divergence between stated intentions and actual behaviors by investigating consumer engagement on Turkish e-commerce platforms. The research aims to assess the extent to which consumer intentions translate into actual online behaviors, with a particular emphasis on the moderating role of situational constraints. A survey of 248 users of business-to-customer (B2C) platforms was conducted, and the data were analyzed using Morikawa’s model, employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) alongside Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The findings indicate that while consumer intentions serve as a valuable predictor of behavior, they are not independently sufficient, as external constraints significantly influence actual engagement. The integration of SEM and NCA methodologies underscores both the predictive utility and the limitations of intention-based models in behavioral economics. This study contributes to the literature by advocating for a more comprehensive framework that incorporates both intention-driven and contextual determinants of consumer behavior, offering critical insights for academic discourse and strategic business applications within Turkey’s digital marketplace.