Influence of ethnocentric attitudes towards tequila attributes related to country of origin effect

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the article is to determine the impact of ethnocentrism on the assessment of product attributes in consumer purchase decision-making. The reason for undertaking the work was interest in the topic of ethnocentrism and determining the impact of product attributes unrelated to functionality on consumer preferences. Design/methodology/approach: In order to achieve the objective, a questionnaire was conducted using the Internet survey method (CAWI) on a sample of 650 respondents from the USA. Respondents were asked to choose the tequila that looked the same in the photos, in relation to which 6 attributes of the product's country of origin were changed: (raw) materials, place of production, nationality of the company employees and owner, company headquarters and country to which taxes are paid. The use of the conjoint method made it possible to determine the significance of factors when assessing the origin of the product. Moreover, to determine ethnocentric attitude, respondents were asked to answer 20 questions on a modified CET scale. Findings: The most significant product attribute associated with the country of origin was the place of production, followed by the place of paying taxes and the source of (raw) materials. The least important attribute was the origin of the employees. However, differences in the assessment regarding the attributes of the country of origin were determined with regard to the level of ethnocentrism represented by the respondents. For highly ethnocentric consumers, the most important attribute was where the tequila company paid its taxes. On the other hand, for consumers demonstrating a low level of ethnocentrism, the place of production was the most significant. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted among US citizens, which means that it would be worth conducting such a study on other continents, especially in countries with a high consumption of alcoholic products. The conducted empirical study, its results and methodology, may be inspiration for further scientific research in the analysed field. Due to the range and complexity of the studied issues as well as the research area, this work does not fully exhaust such an extensive subject. In further research, the respondents should represent different age groups, as well as levels of education and ethnocentrism. Consumers could also be distinguished by the number of people in the household and their annual household income. Practical implications: The publication can be used by both owners and marketing departments of companies producing alcohol, but also other products with a diffuse country of origin effect. The information contained in the research could be applied in shaping campaigns among clients with different levels of ethnocentrism. Originality/value: In the article, a comprehensive description has been given of the potential for displaying various product attributes related to the country of origin, important from the point of view of consumers' decisions about different levels of ethnocentrism. What may be considered innovative is the analysis, ranking attributes concerning the country of origin depending on the level of consumer ethnocentrism. Keywords: county of origin effect, consumer ethnocentrism, conjoint analysis, modified CETSCALE. Category of the paper: Research paper.