Consuming 'European': capturing homogeneity and heterogeneity in consumer culture of five European countries

Abstract

The European Union has been an important part of everyday life for European consumers, and companies actively encourage cross-national consumption experiences by developing and implementing pan-European marketing strategies. However, the theoretical underpinnings for the cultural dynamics within the EU remain sketchy and largely unexplored. This paper aims to understand how consumers balance the 'new' realities within the EU and their influence on consumption behaviour. Consumer culture theory, ethnic identity and acculturation theory are applied to the multifaceted EU context and particularly the effects on consumption behaviour. Focus groups with consumers in Austria, Denmark (i.e. countries with longer EU membership), Slovenia, Poland and Czech Republic (i.e. countries with short membership status) provide empirical insights to our theoretical contentions. Results for different product categories are discussed by means of emerging stories from focus group discussions.