Abstract
When individuals decide to adopt imported products, they associate these products with one or more places. Thus, consumers are likely to think about the new cultures, ideas, and behaviors associated with these places. When adopting imported products some consumers seek some type of novelty without altering existing decisional and/or behavioral structures whereas other consumers seek novelty to create new consumption situations. Nonetheless, current research has failed to explain how determinant the influence of the product’s place and the process of adopting this product are on consumer’s purchase intention. Therefore, this research analyzes: 1) the influence of the product’s place market development level on consumers’ purchase intention, 2) the process followed by consumers during the adoption of imported products, 3) the effect this process has on consumers’ purchase intention, and 4) the moderating effect of social influence and prior product knowledge on this process. A survey of 491 participants from Mexico and the United States revealed: 1) that significant differences in consumers’ purchase intention are due to the product’s place market development level; 2) that the process followed by consumers during the adoption of imported products represents an explanation chain sequentially described by the consumer attitudes toward that imported product, the behavioral intention to use that imported product, and the selection, evaluation and acceptance of that imported product; 3) that this adoption process has a determinant effect on consumers’ purchase intention for imported products; and 4) that social influence and prior product knowledge also influence consumers purchase intention for imported products. Overall, this research makes a theoretical contribution in three particular ways: 1) by providing an enriched and customized framework to fully understand the product adoption process of consumers when deciding to purchase imported products, 2) by identifying the differences on consumers’ purchase intention due to different levels of market development associated to both, the imported product and the consumer, and 3) by proposing that the product adoption process represents an explanation chain.
Highlights
Global business depends upon consumer acceptance of imports given the market potential [1] yet there is highly diverse consumer demand for such products
This research analyzes: 1) the influence of the product’s place market development level on consumers’ purchase intention, 2) the process followed by consumers during the adoption of imported products, 3) the effect this process has on consumers’ purchase intention, and 4) the moderating effect of social influence and prior product knowledge on this process
A survey of 491 participants from Mexico and the United States revealed: 1) that significant differences in consumers’ purchase intention are due to the product’s place market development level; 2) that the process followed by consumers during the adoption of imported products represents an explanation chain sequentially described by the consumer attitudes toward that imported product, the behavioral intention to use that imported product, and the selection, evaluation and acceptance of that imported product; 3) that this adoption process has a determinant effect on consumers’ purchase intention for imported products; and 4) that social influence and prior product knowledge influence consumers purchase intention for imported products
Summary
Global business depends upon consumer acceptance of imports given the market potential [1] yet there is highly diverse consumer demand for such products. Previous research has shown that consumers often evaluate imported goods differently than they do identical domestic products [4], [5]. In some cases, adopting imported products may disrupt consumers’ buying patterns, thereby altering the process involved in trying and accepting these products and perhaps influencing the ways they use the products they are familiar with as well. Analyzing the adoption process of imported products ( APIP) should provide additional information to help understand consumers’ choice of foreign vs domestic products and in profiling different consumer segments (emerging vs developed)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
