Conceptualising consumer regiocentrism: Examining consumers' willingness to buy products from their own region. (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lee, Wai Jin (Thomas); Cheah, Isaac; Phau, Ian; Teah, Min; Elenein, Basem Abou
• Is Part Of: Journal of retailing and consumer services. Volume 32(2017)
• Page Start: 78
• Page End: 85
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: Retail trade -- Periodicals; Service industries -- Periodicals; Customer services -- Periodicals; Commerce de détail -- Périodiques; Service à la clientèle -- Périodiques; Customer services; Retail trade; Periodicals; 658.87
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.05.013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0969-6989

Abstract

Abstract: The key objective of the study is to address the gaps by building a theoretically based conceptual model to examine the influence of consumer regiocentrism and its moderators, and community involvement on consumers' willingness to buy products from their own region. A mail survey of 2000 consumers from the Western Australian metropolitan area, supported four of the five proposed hypotheses. The results revealed that consumer regiocentric tendencies and community involvement positively influenced consumers' willingness to buy products from their own region. Community involvement was also found to positively influence consumer regiocentric tendencies. Although perceived product necessity moderated the relationship between consumer regiocentrism and consumers' willingness to buy products from their own region, perceived economic/personal threat did not moderate the relationship between consumer regiocentrism and consumers' willingness to buy products from their own region. The study offers several implications to public policy makers as well as strategic and communication managers of regional products and brands. Highlights: Despite the rise of importance of sub-national issues such as regional identity and that ethnocentrism may be applied to any social group other than national group, almost all previous studies have examined the antecedents, moderators and consequences of consumer ethnocentrism on a national level. Moreover, the investigation of constructs other than ethnocentrism in explaining consumers' preferences for local versus non local products is limited. With the introduction of regiocentrism With the introduction of regiocentrism, this study provides strategic directions for "Regional" campaigns as a more appropriate initiative instead of country origin effects.