Marital power bases as predictors of spousal influence strategies in a vacation purchase decision

Purpose – This paper aims to uncover the relationships between marital power and influence strategies used during couples' vacation decision processes. Marital power includes two dimensions: the first dimension is objective and composed of actual economic resources; the second is subjective and composed of feelings such as spousal love or self-esteem. Design/methodology/approach – 192 couples completed a questionnaire that included statements describing different influence strategies utilized during the vacation purchase-decision process; respondents indicated the frequency with which they employed each strategy. Findings – Subjective marital power is associated with the use of spousal influence strategies. Objective marital power does not predict the use of these strategies. Research limitaions/implications – These findings highlight a hitherto understudied aspect of marital power – subjective power. Practical implications – Consumer researchers and vacation marketers should take into account the subjective marital power balance and its impact on influence strategies during couples' vacation decision processes. Originality/value – This study shows that during a vacation decision process, the marital power balance between partners impacts on the choice of spousal influence strategies. Secondly, economic power is not the dominant factor that affects the choice of influence strategy; rather, interpersonal power is influential in the use of spousal influence strategies during the vacation decision process.