Impact of Korea’s Image on Attitudes, Norms, and Purchase Intentions of Halal Foods: A Comparison Between Indonesia and Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose – Although Korean food export has been increasing, they will stagnate without markets. This study considers Korean halal food exports to Indonesia and Malaysia, which are two of the largest halal food markets. Given the context, this study aims to predict Indonesian and Malaysian consumers’ purchase intention toward Korean halal food through their acceptance of and feeling toward Korea’s image. Design/methodology – This study surveyed Indonesian and Malaysian consumers who purchased Korean halal food in the past year. The survey data were analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences 21.0 and the analysis of moment structures 21.0. Findings – The analysis reveals that the feeling toward Korea’s image and its food image significantly impacted attitudes and subjective norms, while the acceptance of Korea’s image significantly impacted only subjective norms. Attitude showed no significant effect on purchase intention, whereas subjective norms exhibited a significant effect on purchase intention. The image feeling had a greater impact on attitudes in Indonesia than those in Malaysia, whereas image acceptance showed a greater influence on subjective norms in Malaysia than those in Indonesia. Originality/value – This study considers the difference between Indonesian and Malaysian consumers in relation to their acceptance of and feeling toward Korea’s image and its halal food image. These findings on Korea’s image can play a key role in establishing Korea’s food export strategy and have strategic implications on Korean companies aiming to enter the halal food market or increase their market share.