Consumers’ Motivations for Consumption of Foreign Products: An Empirical Test in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the purchasing motives of young Chinese consumers for foreign products in the People’s Republic of China. Specifically, it offers empirical results of young Chinese consumers’ perceptions of brand prestige, brand quality, and brand value as motives for purchasing foreign products. To collect data, a convenience sample of 400 respondents was recruited across four major campuses in a large, major university in Zhejiang, China. Surveys were administrated using personal interviews to ensure quality of data collection. The empirical evidence provides insights into the impact of product category (conspicuous versus inconspicuous products) on consumers’ susceptibility to social influence (high versus low social compliance groups). The results of the analysis are reported, the implications for marketing communications on consumer acceptance for foreign brands are discussed, and suggestions for future research are derived.