Reasons for ignoring versus paying attention to country of origin among consumers of durable goods brands

Abstract

Purpose – The objective of the study is to identify both reasons for ignoring and for paying attention to the country of origin (COO) by consumers when choosing brands of durable goods. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper a qualitative approach was applied, i.e. 25 in-depth semistructured interviews with Polish consumers of durable goods purposively selected out of those who had previously participated in a quantitative survey conducted by the authors. Findings – Among the reasons for paying attention to the COO when choosing brands of durable goods, cognitive (rational), affective (emotional) and normative factors have been identified, while among the reasons for ignoring the COO by consumers, the authors identified only cognitive (rational) and affective (emotional) factors. Research limitations/implications – The conclusions can be applied by brand managers, e.g. when making decisions whether and why to communicate COO dimensions. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the international marketing literature as it develops a deeper insight into consumer behavior with reference to the consumers’ reasons for paying attention to and ignoring the COO, with very little published on the latter in particular. Furthermore, it is one of still relatively few qualitative studies conducted so far on COO taking a perspective of a consumer, especially the one from an emerging market from the European Union (EU).

Keywords

• Country of origin (COO)
• COO dimensions
• Consumer perception of the COO
• Durable goods
• Qualitative study