A Hybrid Analysis of Consumer Preference for Domestic Products: Combining PLS-SEM and ANN Approaches

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing Algerian consumers’ willingness to purchase domestic cosmetics products over French imported products. The study employs a hybrid methodology, combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modeling approaches. Data were collected from 237 Algerian consumers through snowball sampling and an online survey. The results indicate that consumer ethnocentrism, consumer animosity, product quality judgment, and perceived price significantly influence willingness to buy domestic cosmetic products. The ANN results support these findings, revealing that consumer ethnocentrism is the key predictor factor with the greatest normalized importance ratio. Furthermore, a significant mediating role of product quality judgment was found in the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism, perceived price, and willingness to buy domestic cosmetic products. The study provides insights for marketers interested in the Algerian market, helping them to better understand consumer behavior, particularly in the context of cosmetics products. This study is unique in its focus on the assessment of global vs. domestic cosmetic product usage in developing nations such as Algeria.