Iranian Consumers Research Articles

The role of brand image congruity in Iranian consumers’ demand for auto parts

The role of brand image congruity in Iranian consumers’ demand for auto parts

Customer satisfaction and recommendation behaviour: the case of MTN in Iran

The main purpose of this research is to investigate whether there is a relationship between mobile subscribers’ satisfaction and recommendation behaviour. To examine this association, multiple regressions were used; also, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were undertaken to represent a scale measuring subscribers’ satisfaction and recommendation behaviour. Furthermore, the impact of perceived value, interactivity and ease of use on subscribers’ satisfaction was examined. The results revealed the impact of subscribers’ satisfaction on recommendation behaviour of Iranian consumers. The context in which the study was conducted was Iran, using MTN-Irancell and Hamrah-e-Avval (MCI) subscribers as the sample.

Risk assessment of the total mercury in Golden gray mullet (Liza aurata) from Caspian Sea

Mercury is the most toxic heavy metal in the aquatic ecosystems which originates both from natural and industrial resources and is ultimately deposited in sediments as methyl mercury. This metal is quickly transferred through the food chain and accumulated in organisms. In this study, the human health risk due to consumption of Mullet ( Liza aurata ) in the Caspian Sea, were evaluated by measuring the concentration of mercury in muscle samples using Atomic absorbtion spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer FIAS-100) and cold vapor technique. A total of 60 fresh Mullet samples were collected by local fisherman from 12 stations on the southern coast of Caspian Sea in Mazandaran province situated in the north of Iran. The average concentration of mercury in Mullet muscle was 0.137 µg/g of fresh weight (0.432 µg/g dry weight) which was less than the allowable amount for human consumption determined by the international organizations such as United States Environmental Protection Agency, World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organizations and the Food and Drug Administration. The calculations indicated that daily and weekly mercury uptake for Iranian consumers is lower than the guide values (Acceptable Daily Intake and Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake) provided by international organizations. Also, Hazard Quotient Index was below 1 (0.35). Therefore, the consumption of the Mullet is not a serious threat to the consumer’s health and a consumption permitted rate of 51 g per day is recommended.

Web advertising

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate beliefs about and attitudes toward Web advertising (ATWA) among Iranian consumers, and the relationships between belief factors, ATWA, consumers’ Web advertising behavior, and purchase intention.Design/methodology/approach– A quantitative, non-experimental, and descriptive-analytic survey design was used in this study. Data were collected from students of two big universities in Iran. A total of 416 questionnaires provided usable data and were analyzed using AMOS.Findings– Product information, hedonic, social role, and irritation were significant predictors of ATWA. ATWA were found to be a significant positive predictor of consumer's Web advertising behavior and purchase intention.Research limitations/implications– The limitation is that convenience sampling was used in the research which may have resulted in sampling biases.Originality/value– The paper extended the current body of knowledge on Web advertising by investigating the role of two new factors in Web advertising context. It has been conducted based on Wolinet al.'s(2002) work along with two additional factors; irritation and purchase intention.

Irish Consumer Law: Asserting a Domestic Agenda

This article asserts the importance of developing a distinct Irish consumer law and argues that the matter of consumer protection cannot simply be ceded to Europe. In developing this argument, the article first identifies the hybrid common law and European origins of Irish consumer law. It then traces the development of consumer law in this jurisdiction and focuses on the re-activation of the national consumer protection agenda, both in Ireland and across the European Union, in the last decade. The article also argues that a necessary prerequisite in setting a domestic agenda is a comprehensive understanding of the nature and distinguishing features of the domestic consumer. Hence, the article undertakes a critical analysis of available data indicating the ways in which Irish consumers understand and use consumer law, drawing on annual surveys commissioned by the National Consumer Agency; an extensive EU wide Eurobarometer study on Consumer Empowerment and a focussed Irish study conducted in Winter 2012.This is a pre-peer reviewed version of the article published in final form at the Dublin University Law Journal website.

An investigation on Iranian consumer behavior towards famous luxury brands

Article history: Received May 12, 2013 Received in revised format 30 June 2013 Accepted 28 July 2013 Available online July 31 2013 During the past few years, there has been a growing trend on luxury good consumption among Iranian consumers. Many rich people change their mobile devices, purchase new expensive cars, etc. This paper investigates the effects of three factors including consumer perceived value, sensitivity to social norms and need for uniqueness on consumer’s intention to purchase luxury products based on the theory of planned behavior. The proposed study uses clustering technique and randomly chooses a sample of 250 rich people and distributes a questionnaire among them. The study uses structural equation modeling and the implementation of the proposed model has been executed using LISREL software package. The results indicate the all three factors, consumer perceived value, sensitivity to social norms and need for uniqueness, influence consumer intention to buy luxury goods. In addition, consumer knowledge is a mediator factor between need for uniqueness and purchase intention. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

English

Conspicuous consumption is a fairly universal phenomenon although possibly more pervasive in developed countries. It can be said, conspicuous consumption is more common in some cultures that have a tendency to materialism. Every country in terms of political, technological, cultural and economic environment is different. This paper deepens understanding of why consumers are willing to buy the luxury high end, automobiles provide. The head of the country of origin influences evaluations of how people tend to buy luxury automobiles are used and which of the demographic factors have most influenced the understanding of the luxury brand. The populations of this study are the owners of the automobiles Toyota, Hyundai and Kia Motors in Tehran. A comparison was made between German made Mercedes Benz and Japanese made Lexus luxury automobiles brands. The final sample consists of a total of 390 participants. Data analysis is used in structural equation modeling. The findings show that variables of hedonic, unique, and quality value are significantly higher than conspicuous and social values. They have more of a role in forming of luxury brand perception in Iranian consumers. This study is useful for marketers to understand their target market and how their customers evaluate products and make buying decisions. The five perceived values of luxury automobiles can be used as guidelines for salesmen to sell successfully to customers. Key words: Luxury brand perception, conspicuous value, uniqueness value, social value, hedonic value, quality value, brand preference, purchase intention, country of origin, demographic factors.

Report on Irish Consumers' Awareness and Knowledge of Legal Rights

University College Cork (University College Cork, Law Department Strategic Research Fund 2012.)

Studying the Effects of Negative and Positive Perceptions of Price on Price Mavenism

Despite the importance of price mavens, little empirical research exists on understanding its theoretical and marketing drivers; especially in different cultural contexts Buyers in Iran often communicate positive and negative purchasing experiences through Word-of-Mouth (WOM), which creates special problems and opportunities for marketers. Price mavenism, which is associated with price-information searching and price-sharing behavior, is often considered as negative dimension of price. The purpose of this study, however, is to propose price mavenism as an outcome variable arising from both positive perceptions of price (prestige sensitivity) and negative perceptions (price and value consciousness). For this purpose structured questionnaire was developed to collect data and totaling 206 questionnaires of Iranian consumers were analyzed. The conceptual model was tested using structural equation modeling. This study found that prestige sensitivity, price consciousness and value consciousness shaped price mavenism among the Iranians, supporting the idea that price mavenism arises from both positive and negative perceptions of price.

An Empirical Investigation among Iranian Consumers with Variety Consumption Habits in Cosmetic Sector

This paper is the first paper that provides an in-depth discussion on the scientific methodologies that can be usedto measure and Key Factors That Influence on Consumer Consumption and Converting them to loyal customerand various promotional activities in Iranian cosmetic product .first of all, this paper reviews the historycosmetic industry, current status of e-purchasing and influence of culture on domestic and foreign cosmeticproducts in Iran.This exploratory study sought to answer four sections related about understanding the consumerbuying behaviour in cosmetic product in Iranian market concentrated on domestic and foreign shampoo such asDetermining key factors that influence on consumer consumption and converting them to loyal customer inIranian cosmetic market, Influence of various promotional activities in cosmetic product, E- tailing or electronicbuying attractiveness, Critical Factors influence on Consumer Buying Behaviour and Attitudes towards CosmeticProduct.We have initiated with exploratory research and gradually shifted to descriptive research. The instructionmethod for collecting the primary data was questionnaire. In this research, a modelling framework is developedfor Marketers and their companies to deal with promotional and advertising budget constraints, thereforeselecting the precise promotional mix or integrated marketing communication (IMC) is valuable asset and equipcompanies to penetrate and develop the market share in Iranian market in this competitive marketaccordingly.Empirical studies have shown that the Quality, product reliability (genuine), package and variety ofdistribution channels are the most influential factors for customers’ satisfaction and consumer buying behaviourabout the foreign cosmetic product (shampoos), while quality, product reliability (genuine), package, meet therequirements and variety of distribution channels are the most influential factors for customers’ satisfaction andconsumer buying behaviour in domestic Iranian product.

Evaluation of portion size estimation aids among Irish consumers

Evaluation of portion size estimation aids among Irish consumers

Realising M-Payments: modelling consumers' willingness to M-pay using Smart Phones

It is predicted that significant and ongoing investment in M-Commerce platforms and application development by commercial entities will fundamentally change consumers' shopping and web browsing behaviours. However, the evolving behaviour of Smart Phone users is somewhat tempered by concerns over M-Payments. If Smart Phones are to reach their full M-Commerce potential, the ability of consumers to transact and pay for products/services through these devices in an easy, safe and reliable manner must be addressed. In response, this paper contributes a theoretical model and empirically tests the model to explore Irish consumers' perceptions of using Smart Phones to make M-Payments for products/services. The findings present conclusive evidence that trust is the most powerful factor influencing consumers' willingness to use Smart Phones to make M-Payments. While perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use influence the payment decision, their impact is much lower. Mobile self-efficacy and personal innovativeness have almost no direct impact. The paper concludes that irrespective of individuals' high levels of personal innovativeness or mobile self-efficacy and irrespective of whether Smart Mobile Media Services are perceived as useful and easy to use, consumers will not make M-Payments, until they are convinced that Smart Phone M-Payment systems are safe and reliable.

Irish fish, Irish people: roles and responsibilities for an emptying ocean

Human decisions shape patterns of seafood resource use. Consequently, it is also these decisions made by actors within seafood industries which ultimately determine the environmental impact of fisheries resource extraction from marine environments. In this study, we investigated the roles and influences of various actors within the Irish seafood industry. Our objectives were to learn more about the working dynamics of the industry and identify possibilities for improvements towards industry sustainability. We employed qualitative research methods including semi-structured interviews, focus groups and participant observation to access information from Irish consumers, retailers, wholesalers, scientists and key industry informants. The diversity of seafood products available within the Irish market is generally low. However, consumers who experiment with trying new varieties of seafood are influenced by dining experiences at restaurants or while travelling abroad as well as through cooking shows or cookbooks. Potential for influence on factors including consumer choice, stocking and sourcing decisions, business management and fisheries policy was found within all levels of the seafood industry, though a sense of responsibility in the context of seafood sustainability was less common. In addition, the absence of shortages within the Irish market due to imports, aquaculture and mislabelling appears to be preventing widespread acceptance about claims of overfishing. It is clear that ultimately, responsible policy decisions and effective enforcement will be needed to improve the overall sustainability of the industry. However, pressure for positive change can come from all actors that prioritise sustainability as the most important objective for future industry operation.

Sensory evaluation of organic and conventional fruits and vegetables available to Irish consumers

SummaryMany Irish consumers believe organic foods taste better; however, scientific data to support this are scarce, inconclusive and limited in scope. Quantitative descriptive analysis was used to compare the sensory properties of nine organic and conventional fruits and vegetables. A panel of nine was trained according to ISO international standards (8586‐1, 1993). Independent t‐tests of individual descriptor data and a two‐way repeated measures anova of the entire data set were carried out via SPSS 19. Statistical analysis of panel scores failed to show any significant differences between the organic and conventional samples for any of the descriptors assessed (P < 0.05 and less) or between the overall organic and conventional data sets (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the study found no statistically significant differences between the sensory attributes of a range of organic and conventional fruits and vegetables available to the Irish consumer.

Country equity-retesting and improving the model of country equity: Comparing Japan and South Korea equity in electronics

The purpose of this paper is to retest the country brand equity model and extends it to six dimensional model. Through an analytical review, research hypotheses were built. An empirical investigation was carried out among Iranian consumers. Four brands of electronics from Japan (Sony, Panasonic) and South Korea (LG, Samsung) were investigated. Results showed that awareness, macro image, micro image, perceived quality, loyalty, and feeling of social approval as six dimensions have effect on country brand equity, and country brand equity differs across countries of productions. Key words: Country brand equity, brand awareness, country macro image, country micro image, perceived quality, loyalty, social approval.

Measuring the Ethnocentric Tendencies of Iranian Consumers: An Assessment of Validity and Reliability of the CETSCALE

ABSTRACT Obtaining accurate information from markets is highly dependent on the use of valid and reliable scales. This study is intended to assess validity and reliability of the CETSCALE, a measure of consumers’ ethnocentric tendencies, in the context of Iran. Data collected from 278 university students were used to examine the unidimensionality, internal consistency, discriminant validity, and nomological validity of the CETSCALE. The results confirmed the unidimensionality postulate of the scale; however, due to poor model fit, a more parsimonious scale was developed by removing 7 items. Reliability and discriminant validity of the CETSCALE were strongly supported by the data, although the support for nomological validity was not very strong.

Creating consumer‐based brand equity for young Iranian consumers via country of origin sub‐components effects

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to decompose the concept of country of origin (COO) and to investigate the influence of country of brand (COB) and country of manufacture (COM) on brand equity formation. Moreover, the secondary aim of this research is to examine the moderating role of product involvement.Design/methodology/approachTo accomplish this, a conceptual framework was designed and relationships between its constructs (COB image, COM image, brand equity dimensions, overall brand equity) were hypothesized. Data were collected from Iranian students who were the owners of selected brands of laptops and mobile phones. All hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) in LISREL.FindingsAs a result of exploratory factor analysis, three factors, namely brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand association/awareness were introduced for the brand equity dimensions. Results indicated that unlike COM, COB has a direct and significant effect on brand loyalty and COB positively influences perceived quality and brand awareness or association. Brand loyalty has a positive and direct effect on the overall brand equity. The results also indicate the moderating effect of product involvement on relationships between COB and brand equity dimensions.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only investigates in the country of origin of the product. The effect of laptops and mobile phones from a student's point of view were not taken into consideration, which includes other controlled variables (e.g. income, gender) and moderating factors (e.g. product familiarity).Originality/valueThis paper is important in order to identify the effect of brand equity formation from the point of view of young Iranian consumers. Product involvement effect is another important case in this research.

Attitudes of Iranian consumers' towards agricultural organic products (AOP)

The present study investigates attitudes of consumers towards agricultural organic products (AOP) in Iran. A questionnaire was used as the main research instrument to collect data. The result of the study showed that the most important factors influencing the perceptions of consumers about AOP were awareness about disadvantages of pesticides and other chemicals used in the process of agricultural productions. The results also showed that TV, radio and newspapers were the most important sources of awareness for consumers about AOP. In addition, four factors including educational, supportive, monitoring and economical, influenced on the AOP diffusion. These four factors extracted by exploratory factor analysis determined 69.76% of variations in the diffusion of AOP: educational (23.54%), supportive (19.48%), monitoring (15.34%) and economical (11.40%). Key words: Agricultural organic products, attitudes, consumers.

New approach to study of factors affecting adoption of electronic banking services with emphasis on the role of positive word of mouth

The present study aims to identify factors affecting adoption of electronic banking. The data used in the study were collected from a sample consisted of 363 M.S students in Islamic Azad University of Arak through a structured questionnaire based on field survey. Then the collected data were analyzed by AMOS software. As official statistics indicated only 17.31% of all Iranian customers used electronic banking services in the last quarter of 2009. Therefore, it seems indispensable to study factors that may affect adoption of electronic banking by Iranian consumers. Furthermore, given the importance of effects of positive word of mouth on consumers’ behavior, especially in the field of services offered, this study puts special emphasis on this variable. The results of the study indicate that positive word of mouth (P-WOM) has a positive effect on electronic banking adoption and on the trust in bank, while negatively influence the perceived risk of electronic banking services. In addition, it was found that the customers’ trust in bank has a positive effect on perceived competence of electronic banking services and also on the electronic banking adoption. Besides, the perceived competence of electronic banking services influences word of mouth positively.

Word of mouth communication and some consumption habits among Iranian consumers

Word of mouth (WOM) is becoming increasingly recognized as an important form of promotion. The present paper seeks to explore the factors that are likely to enhance chances that receivers of positive word of mouth might be influenced by such information or situations. Infact, the purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between word of mouth communication and some consumption habit among Iranian consumers. The study examines findings gathered from 1104 questionnaires filled by students in the University of Isfahan. The sample was composed of students belonging to different Iranian ethnic groups. The findings suggest that the consumers' potential for WOM engagement which affects their perceptions or their actions depends on some consumption habits and some consumer characteristics such as culture and sex. Consumers' creative choice counter conformity, role-relaxed consumption, consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence, attention to social comparison information and status consumption, have a relationship to the extent to which they are engaged in WOM.The findings are tentative; however, they provide a useful framework for future research into the process of WOM. The importance of WOM in marketing, particularly professional services marketing is widely accepted; however, little is known about how to enhance its occurrence. The present study provides marketing managers with a better understanding of the factors likely to relate receivers or senders of WOM. Most WOM research focuses on the sender of WOM. In contrast, this paper provides insights on related factors of WOM on the receiver, something that is currently a black box in the marketing literature. Key words: Consumer behavior, consumer decision making, word of mouth communication, consumer need for uniqueness, role-relaxed consumption, social comparison, interpersonal influence.