Investigating the moderating role of intercultural factors on consumer cross-shopping behavior

Hayiel Hino

doi:10.20525/ijrbs.v9i2.641

Abstract

The concept of prejudice has become increasingly important to scientific thinking about relations between groups. Yet, despite extensive research, little is known about how prejudice affects consumer buying behavior, especially regarding activities that involve purchasing products and services thereby crossing to suppliers from the dominant community. The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the influence of both positive and negative prejudices on cross-shopping intention in the context of an ethnic minority-majority group relationship; and, to investigate the moderating influence of intercultural-related factors (i.e. online contact, social interaction, and acculturation) on the relationship between negative prejudice and cross-shopping intention. A sample consisting of 202 respondents was obtained from across ethnic-minority consumers (the Israeli Arabs) who routinely interact online and offline with individuals from the majority population (Israeli Jews). The conceptual framework and hypothesis are tested using the partial least squares analyses (PLS). The study results provide a better understanding of the conflicting effects of positive and negative prejudice on cross-shopping intention. Additionally, results shed light on the moderating role of intercultural factors on the relationship between negative prejudice and cross-shopping intention. Implications are identified together with consideration of the study limitations and avenues for future research.

Highlights

Prejudice refers to ideas, beliefs, feelings, and attitudes that people have about other less familiar groups as a whole or individuals within those groups, based on their perceived group membership
The overriding purpose of this study is to assess the influence of perceived prejudice on cross-shopping intention in the context of ethnic minority-majority group relationship
This study seeks to provide a better understanding of the conflicting effects of both positive and negative prejudice on minority-consumers’ intention to cross to majority-group marketers and suppliers for purchasing products and services

Summary

Introduction

Beliefs, feelings, and attitudes that people have about other less familiar groups as a whole or individuals within those groups, based on their perceived group membership (e.g., race, class, gender, religion, and sexual orientation). Prejudice does not necessarily occur only in one direction (Brylka, Jasinskaja-Lahti, & Mähönen, 2016). Prejudice can be either positive or negative. Negative prejudices are unfavorable opinions or feelings, stereotyped beliefs, and negative evaluative reactions such as disapproval, dislike, and a tendency to discriminate against outgroup members (Dovidio et al, 2002). Positive prejudices typically occur when individuals develop preferences that lead to distorting any new information so that it will reinforce those preferences, and discounting data that does not

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Conclusion