Consumer boycott movements: Impact on brand reputation and business performance in the digital age

Herry Mulyono; Benediktus Rolando

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025291

Keywords:

consumer activism

corporate accountability

corporate social responsibility

ethical consumption

digital activism

value-based consumption

Abstract

Consumer boycotts have emerged as a significant force in modern markets, with research indicating that up to 42% of multinational corporations and 54% of prominent brands currently face such actions. The growing prevalence of consumer activism represents a fundamental shift in consumer-corporate relationships, where ethical considerations increasingly drive purchasing decisions. Despite extensive research on boycott outcomes, significant gaps exist in understanding the longitudinal effects of boycotts across diverse cultural contexts and the specific mechanisms through which social media amplifies these movements.This study addresses these gaps by examining: (1) the psychological and sociocultural factors driving consumer participation in boycotts; (2) the impact of corporate responses on brand reputation and financial performance; and (3) the role of social media in facilitating consumer activism. Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed articles from the Scopus database published between 2019-2024, initially identifying 8,958 documents which were screened down to 45 final articles based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The methodology combines quantitative bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software and qualitative synthesis. Our findings reveal that consumer boycotts significantly impact both immediate sales and long-term brand reputation, particularly when boycotts are perceived as credible and widely supported. The research demonstrates that boycott participation is driven by complex motivational factors including ethnocentrism, religious beliefs, and social identity, which vary significantly across demographic and cultural contexts. Companies that fail to address consumer concerns face substantial financial losses, while those engaging in proactive corporate social responsibility can mitigate negative impacts. This research contributes a comprehensive framework for understanding consumer boycotts and their strategic implications, highlighting the necessity for businesses to integrate ethical considerations and align communications with consumer values. It extends existing literature by identifying the need for longitudinal and cross-cultural studies to better understand consumer activism in today's conscientious marketplace.
References
1. Afego, P. N., & Alagidede, I. P. (2021). What does corporate social advocacy signal? Evidence from boycott participation decisions. Journal of Capital Markets Studies, 5(1), 49–68.
2. Awaludin, A. A., & Al-Khaidar, M. A. (2023). Opinion leaders and boycott intentions: Factors influencing consumer behavior in support of Israel Boycott. Journal of Digital Marketing and Halal Industry, 5(2), 243–264.
3. Beja, A. (2023). The political uses of food protests: Analyzing the 1910 meat boycott. Journal of American Studies, 57(2), 178–196.
4. Brantley, A. P. (2019). “Shouldn’t You Be Boycotting Coors?” Ephemera, boycotting counterpublics, and the campaign against Coors Beer. Radical History Review, 2019(134), 142–167.
5. Fadzilah, N. I., Yovita, L., Waluyo, D. E., & Oktavia, V. (2024). Does the boycott affect Israel-affiliated companies in Indonesia? Finance: International Journal of Management Finance, 1(4), 65–78.
6. Farshi, E. (2023). The principle of boycotting number 1s: Enhancing decision-making diversity and balancing market power in a complex world.
7. Fei, H., & Zhu, J. (2024). Analysis of the influence of online public opinion on corporate brand value: An efficient way to avoid unexpected shocks from the internet. Systems, 12(9), 337.
8. Gondim Mariutti, F., Strehlau, V. I., Loomis, J. J., & Herrero, E. (2024). When place brand and place logo matches: VRIO applied to place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1–15.
9. Grant, L., & Langpap, C. (2024). The roles of environmental groups in economics. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 18(2), 234–256.
10. Gunn, J. L., Li, C., Liao, L., Yang, J., & Zhou, S. (2024). Audit firms’ corporate social responsibility activities and auditor reputation. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 113, 101569.
11. Hamida, I., Farihah, N., & Amaroh, S. (2024). Analisis pengaruh aksi boikot akibat konflik Palestina-Israel terhadap harga saham Unilever di USA, UK, dan Indonesia yang tercatat ISSI dan JII. Sosio e-Kons, 16(2), 156–167.
12. Hanandeh, A., Al-Badaineh, G., Kilani, Q., Freijat, S. Y., Abualfalayeh, G., & Khasawneh, M. A. (2024). The effects of social media platforms in influencing consumer behavior and improving business objectives. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 8(4), 2333–2340.
13. Hassan Mohamed, Y., & El-Sayed Kordy, A. (2024). The impact of strategic decisions on the competitiveness of local products under the boycott.
14. Herdiansyah, H., Safitri, S. S., Handayani, L. A., Wibowo, E. N. E., & Jatmiko, M. A. (2024). Pengaruh paparan media sosial, loyalitas dan konformitas terhadap keputusan pembeli produk McDonald’s pasca boikot. Gandiwa Jurnal Komunikasi, 4(1), 58–71.
15. Hosseini, S., Siyamiyan Gorji, A., Vo-Thanh, T., & Zaman, M. (2023). Behind the hashtags: Exploring tourists’ motivations in a social media-centred boycott campaign. Tourism Recreation Research, 1–13.
16. Keskin, H., Esen, E., & Bozkurt, S. (2024). Company social irresponsibility and customer boycott intention in times of crisis. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 1–17.
17. Kim, C., & Kinoshita, A. (2023). Do you punish or forgive socially responsible companies? A cross-country analysis of boycott campaigns. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71, 103232.
18. Kim, C., Yan, X., & Park, S. (2023). Do consumer boycotts really matter with global companies? The moderating effect of gender differences. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(12), 5707–5726.
19. Kim, Y. E., & Nicolau, J. L. (2025). Effect of popular culture on tourism firms' market value: A destination brand equity perspective. Tourism Management, 107, 105060.
20. Ko, J., & Kim, S. M. (2023). ‘No Japan’: Explaining motivations behind nationalist boycotts in South Korea. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 23(3), 417–450.
21. Lechterman, T. M., Jenkins, R., & Strawser, B. J. (2024). #StopHateForProfit and the ethics of boycotting by corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 191(1), 77–91.
22. Liaukonytė, J., Tuchman, A., & Zhu, X. (2023). Frontiers: Spilling the beans on political consumerism: Do social media boycotts and buycotts translate to real sales impact? Marketing Science, 42(1), 11–25.
23. Macchion, L. (2024). Corporate social responsibility and risk management: Charting the course for a sustainable future of the fashion industry. Global Sustainability, 7, e39.
24. Meidini, B. A., & Astuti, S. W. (2024). Rosé All Day brand communication strategy in facing the boycott issue. Wasilatuna: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam, 7(02), 193–203.
25. Misiewicz, C., Małagocka, K., & Duś-Prieto, E. (2024). Exploring boycott dynamics: The influence of consumer emotions and social media activism. Marketing i Rynek, (4), 43–57.
26. Nasir, M., Rajkumari, Y., & Adil, M. (2024). After-sales service and brand reputation: A case of kitchen appliance industry. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 16(3), 413–431.
27. Nguyen, H. N., & Nguyen, T. B. (2021). Sense of online betrayal, brand hate, and outrage customers’ anti-brand activism. Innovative Marketing, 17(4), 75–87.
28. O'Brien, E., Johnson, H., & Murray, Y. A. (2023). Banning indirect boycotts: Contentious interactions and the role of the state in marketplace activism. Business and Politics, 25(4), 393–408.
29. Poon, H., & Tse, T. (2024). Enacting cross-platform (buy/boy)cotts: Yellow Economic Circle and the new citizen-consumer politics in Hong Kong. New Media & Society, 26(5), 2971–2991.
30. Pujiastuti, A. (2023). Mengungkap dampak boikot terhadap nilai pasar perusahaan. EKONOMIKA45: Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, Ekonomi Bisnis, Kewirausahaan, 11(1), 675–687.
31. Román, S., Riquelme, I. P., & Iacobucci, D. (2024). Unlocking the helpfulness of extreme and exaggerated hotel online reviews: Consumers and brand influences. Tourism Management Perspectives, 54, 101321.
32. Rynarzewska, A. I., LeMay, S. A., Helms, M. M., & Hetrick, E. (2024). Effects of empathy and egoism on CSR perceptions and consumer buycotts: Lessons learned during global crisis in support of equitable business practices. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 34(1), 90–107.
33. Salma, S. Y., & Aji, H. M. (2023). What drives Muslims to boycott French brands? The moderating role of brand judgement and counterargument. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 14(5), 1346–1368.
34. Seyfi, S., Rastegar, R., Kuhzady, S., Hall, C. M., & Saarinen, J. (2023). Whose justice? Social (in)justice in tourism boycotts. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 4(2), 100103.
35. Seyfi, S., Sharifi-Tehrani, M., Hall, C. M., & Vo-Thanh, T. (2023). Exploring the drivers of Gen Z tourists’ buycott behaviour: A lifestyle politics perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1–19.
36. Shah, S. A., Raza, Q., Rajar, H. A., Baig, M. T., Mithiani, S. A., Ahmed, M., ... & Malik, S. (2024). Consumer behavior and preferences shift: The impact of boycotting imported brands on local product demand. Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), 13(2), 455–467.
37. Shalpegin, T., Kumar, A., & Browning, T. R. (2023). Undiversity, inequity, and exclusion in supply chains: The unintended fallout of economic sanctions and consumer boycotts. Production and Operations Management.
38. Shao, Z., Ho, J. S. Y., Tan, G. W. H., Ooi, K. B., Sarker, P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2024). How celebrity attributes damage customer–brand relationship in live streaming commerce: A dark side. Journal of Brand Management, 1–23.
39. Sukarieh, R. (2024). Political imaginaries of solidarity: The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) in Toronto. Social Movement Studies, 1–16.
40. Sung, R., & Park, J. (2021, November). Economic sanctions and consumer behavior in target states: An agent-based model of boycott movements. In Conference of the Computational Social Science Society of the Americas (pp. 43–55). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
41. Sutrisno, A. (2024). International legal analysis of the boycott products suspected of supporting genocide. IBLAM LAW REVIEW, 4(1), 497–504.
42. Tuan, A., Visentin, M., & Di Domenico, G. (2023). Bridging who they are with who they thought they’d be: The effects of Gen Zers’ subjective well-being on their boycott responses to online and offline unethical situations. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 58(2-3), 248–267.
43. Ulker‐Demirel, E., Yuruk‐Kayapinar, P., & Kayapinar, O. (2021). The role of consumer ethnocentrism on boycott behaviour: What if a domestic business behaves egregiously? Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration, 38(4), 354–368.
44. Yan, T., & Hyman, M. R. (2020). Nationalistic appeals and consumer boycotts in China, 1900-1949. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 12(4), 503–524.
45. Yang, J., Chuenterawong, P., & Pugdeethosapol, K. (2021). Speaking up on black lives matter: A comparative study of consumer reactions toward brand and influencer-generated corporate social responsibility messages. Journal of Advertising, 50(5), 565–583.
46. Yu, X., Xiao, T., & Zaccour, G. (2024). Pricing and unauthorized channel strategies for a global manufacturer considering import taxes. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 192, 103784.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Mulyono, H., & Rolando, B. (2025). Consumer boycott movements: Impact on brand reputation and business performance in the digital age. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(9), 2025291. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025291

[1] Afego, P. N., & Alagidede, I. P. (2021). What does corporate social advocacy signal? Evidence from boycott participation decisions. Journal of Capital Markets Studies, 5(1), 49–68.

[2] Awaludin, A. A., & Al-Khaidar, M. A. (2023). Opinion leaders and boycott intentions: Factors influencing consumer behavior in support of Israel Boycott. Journal of Digital Marketing and Halal Industry, 5(2), 243–264.

[3] Beja, A. (2023). The political uses of food protests: Analyzing the 1910 meat boycott. Journal of American Studies, 57(2), 178–196.

[4] Brantley, A. P. (2019). “Shouldn’t You Be Boycotting Coors?” Ephemera, boycotting counterpublics, and the campaign against Coors Beer. Radical History Review, 2019(134), 142–167.

[5] Fadzilah, N. I., Yovita, L., Waluyo, D. E., & Oktavia, V. (2024). Does the boycott affect Israel-affiliated companies in Indonesia? Finance: International Journal of Management Finance, 1(4), 65–78.

[6] Farshi, E. (2023). The principle of boycotting number 1s: Enhancing decision-making diversity and balancing market power in a complex world.

[7] Fei, H., & Zhu, J. (2024). Analysis of the influence of online public opinion on corporate brand value: An efficient way to avoid unexpected shocks from the internet. Systems, 12(9), 337.

[8] Gondim Mariutti, F., Strehlau, V. I., Loomis, J. J., & Herrero, E. (2024). When place brand and place logo matches: VRIO applied to place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1–15.

[9] Grant, L., & Langpap, C. (2024). The roles of environmental groups in economics. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 18(2), 234–256.

[10] Gunn, J. L., Li, C., Liao, L., Yang, J., & Zhou, S. (2024). Audit firms’ corporate social responsibility activities and auditor reputation. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 113, 101569.

[11] Hamida, I., Farihah, N., & Amaroh, S. (2024). Analisis pengaruh aksi boikot akibat konflik Palestina-Israel terhadap harga saham Unilever di USA, UK, dan Indonesia yang tercatat ISSI dan JII. Sosio e-Kons, 16(2), 156–167.

[12] Hanandeh, A., Al-Badaineh, G., Kilani, Q., Freijat, S. Y., Abualfalayeh, G., & Khasawneh, M. A. (2024). The effects of social media platforms in influencing consumer behavior and improving business objectives. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 8(4), 2333–2340.

[13] Hassan Mohamed, Y., & El-Sayed Kordy, A. (2024). The impact of strategic decisions on the competitiveness of local products under the boycott.

[14] Herdiansyah, H., Safitri, S. S., Handayani, L. A., Wibowo, E. N. E., & Jatmiko, M. A. (2024). Pengaruh paparan media sosial, loyalitas dan konformitas terhadap keputusan pembeli produk McDonald’s pasca boikot. Gandiwa Jurnal Komunikasi, 4(1), 58–71.

[15] Hosseini, S., Siyamiyan Gorji, A., Vo-Thanh, T., & Zaman, M. (2023). Behind the hashtags: Exploring tourists’ motivations in a social media-centred boycott campaign. Tourism Recreation Research, 1–13.

[16] Keskin, H., Esen, E., & Bozkurt, S. (2024). Company social irresponsibility and customer boycott intention in times of crisis. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 1–17.

[17] Kim, C., & Kinoshita, A. (2023). Do you punish or forgive socially responsible companies? A cross-country analysis of boycott campaigns. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71, 103232.

[18] Kim, C., Yan, X., & Park, S. (2023). Do consumer boycotts really matter with global companies? The moderating effect of gender differences. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(12), 5707–5726.

[19] Kim, Y. E., & Nicolau, J. L. (2025). Effect of popular culture on tourism firms' market value: A destination brand equity perspective. Tourism Management, 107, 105060.

[20] Ko, J., & Kim, S. M. (2023). ‘No Japan’: Explaining motivations behind nationalist boycotts in South Korea. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 23(3), 417–450.

[21] Lechterman, T. M., Jenkins, R., & Strawser, B. J. (2024). #StopHateForProfit and the ethics of boycotting by corporations. Journal of Business Ethics, 191(1), 77–91.

[22] Liaukonytė, J., Tuchman, A., & Zhu, X. (2023). Frontiers: Spilling the beans on political consumerism: Do social media boycotts and buycotts translate to real sales impact? Marketing Science, 42(1), 11–25.

[23] Macchion, L. (2024). Corporate social responsibility and risk management: Charting the course for a sustainable future of the fashion industry. Global Sustainability, 7, e39.

[24] Meidini, B. A., & Astuti, S. W. (2024). Rosé All Day brand communication strategy in facing the boycott issue. Wasilatuna: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam, 7(02), 193–203.

[25] Misiewicz, C., Małagocka, K., & Duś-Prieto, E. (2024). Exploring boycott dynamics: The influence of consumer emotions and social media activism. Marketing i Rynek, (4), 43–57.

[26] Nasir, M., Rajkumari, Y., & Adil, M. (2024). After-sales service and brand reputation: A case of kitchen appliance industry. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 16(3), 413–431.

[27] Nguyen, H. N., & Nguyen, T. B. (2021). Sense of online betrayal, brand hate, and outrage customers’ anti-brand activism. Innovative Marketing, 17(4), 75–87.

[28] O'Brien, E., Johnson, H., & Murray, Y. A. (2023). Banning indirect boycotts: Contentious interactions and the role of the state in marketplace activism. Business and Politics, 25(4), 393–408.

[29] Poon, H., & Tse, T. (2024). Enacting cross-platform (buy/boy)cotts: Yellow Economic Circle and the new citizen-consumer politics in Hong Kong. New Media & Society, 26(5), 2971–2991.

[30] Pujiastuti, A. (2023). Mengungkap dampak boikot terhadap nilai pasar perusahaan. EKONOMIKA45: Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, Ekonomi Bisnis, Kewirausahaan, 11(1), 675–687.

[31] Román, S., Riquelme, I. P., & Iacobucci, D. (2024). Unlocking the helpfulness of extreme and exaggerated hotel online reviews: Consumers and brand influences. Tourism Management Perspectives, 54, 101321.

[32] Rynarzewska, A. I., LeMay, S. A., Helms, M. M., & Hetrick, E. (2024). Effects of empathy and egoism on CSR perceptions and consumer buycotts: Lessons learned during global crisis in support of equitable business practices. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 34(1), 90–107.

[33] Salma, S. Y., & Aji, H. M. (2023). What drives Muslims to boycott French brands? The moderating role of brand judgement and counterargument. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 14(5), 1346–1368.

[34] Seyfi, S., Rastegar, R., Kuhzady, S., Hall, C. M., & Saarinen, J. (2023). Whose justice? Social (in)justice in tourism boycotts. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 4(2), 100103.

[35] Seyfi, S., Sharifi-Tehrani, M., Hall, C. M., & Vo-Thanh, T. (2023). Exploring the drivers of Gen Z tourists’ buycott behaviour: A lifestyle politics perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1–19.

[36] Shah, S. A., Raza, Q., Rajar, H. A., Baig, M. T., Mithiani, S. A., Ahmed, M., ... & Malik, S. (2024). Consumer behavior and preferences shift: The impact of boycotting imported brands on local product demand. Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), 13(2), 455–467.

[37] Shalpegin, T., Kumar, A., & Browning, T. R. (2023). Undiversity, inequity, and exclusion in supply chains: The unintended fallout of economic sanctions and consumer boycotts. Production and Operations Management.

[38] Shao, Z., Ho, J. S. Y., Tan, G. W. H., Ooi, K. B., Sarker, P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2024). How celebrity attributes damage customer–brand relationship in live streaming commerce: A dark side. Journal of Brand Management, 1–23.

[39] Sukarieh, R. (2024). Political imaginaries of solidarity: The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) in Toronto. Social Movement Studies, 1–16.

[40] Sung, R., & Park, J. (2021, November). Economic sanctions and consumer behavior in target states: An agent-based model of boycott movements. In Conference of the Computational Social Science Society of the Americas (pp. 43–55). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

[41] Sutrisno, A. (2024). International legal analysis of the boycott products suspected of supporting genocide. IBLAM LAW REVIEW, 4(1), 497–504.

[42] Tuan, A., Visentin, M., & Di Domenico, G. (2023). Bridging who they are with who they thought they’d be: The effects of Gen Zers’ subjective well-being on their boycott responses to online and offline unethical situations. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 58(2-3), 248–267.

[43] Ulker‐Demirel, E., Yuruk‐Kayapinar, P., & Kayapinar, O. (2021). The role of consumer ethnocentrism on boycott behaviour: What if a domestic business behaves egregiously? Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration, 38(4), 354–368.

[44] Yan, T., & Hyman, M. R. (2020). Nationalistic appeals and consumer boycotts in China, 1900-1949. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 12(4), 503–524.

[45] Yang, J., Chuenterawong, P., & Pugdeethosapol, K. (2021). Speaking up on black lives matter: A comparative study of consumer reactions toward brand and influencer-generated corporate social responsibility messages. Journal of Advertising, 50(5), 565–583.

[46] Yu, X., Xiao, T., & Zaccour, G. (2024). Pricing and unauthorized channel strategies for a global manufacturer considering import taxes. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 192, 103784.

Abstract

References

How to cite