Educating, Not Just Promoting: How Digital Education and Brand Authority Drive Client Purchase Intentions in Construction Services

Abstract

Digital transformation has transformed the way companies build relationships with customers, but high digital exposure doesn't always translate into purchasing decisions. The conversion gap phenomenon is a major challenge, particularly in the construction services industry, which is characterized by high involvement and high perceived risk. Although research on purchase intention has grown rapidly, most focuses on the retail and e-commerce sectors, while studies integrating Digital Education-Based Marketing, Perceived Transparency, and Brand Authority in the construction services context are still limited. Furthermore, the mechanisms explaining how digital education and transparency influence purchase intention through the formation of brand authority have not been widely explored. This study aims to analyze the influence of Digital Education-Based Marketing and Perceived Transparency on Client Purchase Intention and examine the role of Brand Authority as a mediating variable. The study used a quantitative approach with a causal design with 200 respondents who had experience or involvement in decision-making regarding construction services. Data were collected through an online survey and analyzed using PLS-SEM with SmartPLS 4. The results show that Digital Education-Based Marketing and Perceived Transparency have a positive and significant effect on both Brand Authority and Client Purchase Intention. Brand Authority also has a positive effect on Client Purchase Intention and acts as a complementary partial mediator in the relationship between these two exogenous variables and purchase intention. A key finding of this study reveals that Digital Education-Based Marketing is the most dominant factor in shaping Brand Authority and driving Client Purchase Intention. This research offers novelty through the development of an integrative model linking digital education, transparency, and brand authority to explain the formation of purchase intention in the construction services industry. Theoretically, this study expands the integration of Signaling Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Practically, it provides a foundation for construction services companies to develop education- and transparency-based marketing strategies to strengthen Brand Authority and increase the conversion of prospects into project contracts.

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