The retailing environment has shown that consumer purchases are dependent upon the consideration and subsequent evaluation of product attributes. Consumer’s selection of products are driven by their preferences for the attributes that the products possess. The aim of this study was to investigate product attribute preferences for cross-category shopping products in Durban. The quantitative study design based on a cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted. The study population consisted of consumers within the city of Durban. The study sampled 213 students selected from three universities in Durban (University A, B and C). Research respondents were chosen using convenience sampling. Respondents were purposely selected based on their capacity to give meaningful information relevant to the study. The Cronbach alpha test was conducted to test for reliability of the first instrument. The results indicated acceptable, consistent scoring patterns for the sections of the research instrument. The study revealed that for clothing detergent products, product form is the most important attribute followed by product effectiveness. It is important to note that significant differences were found in the respondent's preferences for product attributes in terms of the respondent's demographics. For clothing detergents, significant differences were found in terms of respondents preferences for the price, scent, size and product form of clothing detergents. Subsequently, generalised product attribute preferences were obtained. The findings of the study are limited due to the low response rate among older respondents. Future studies may benefit from investigating sub-categories. Moreover, future studies should consider other consumer segmentation methods in order to better understand and classify retail behaviour when developing modelling approaches. Retail managers may benefit from communicating more value for money for their skincare product offerings. Brands that are synonymous with longer lasting products either through offering more volume or products that require less application to achieve desired results may provide a competitive advantage.

County of origin studies have analysed the influence of the origins of a product on consumer attitudes

Local or regional fast-moving consumer (FMCG) brands sold mostly in delimited geographic areas are a growing trend. This study aims to understand consumer attitudes towards such products and to identify factors critical to their success. The paper is a comparative study between developed (Germany) and emerging (South Africa) nations to identify differences between the preference criteria for FMCG. The methodology involved an online cross section survey in the two countries. Respondents from both countries preferred local brands and believe they are better quality and more supportive of, and connected to, local communities. South Africans feel this more strongly, show greater commitment, and are prepared to pay more than Germans. ‘Beliefs’ regarding quality, value for money, and trust in local brands are critical.

No abstract

The establishment of choice set from which consumers identify their preferred product and/brand choices arouses some interest among researchers, specifically within the context of international marketing. This curiosity about the influence of a product’s place of origin (country-of-origin: COO) on the establishment of consumer choice sets chiefly emanates from the growth of international trade and globalisation. The gap within the knowledge base surrounding consumer behaviour with respect to the purchase of foreign and domestic brands, specifically within Africa created the potential for research. As part of the evolution of COO research, this study looks into the construct of consumer ethnocentrism (CE) and its relationship with product selection and consideration. The aim behind the study can be summed up in the following objectives: firstly, to identify the moderating effects of consumer demographic variables on ethnocentric tendencies; secondly, to determine consumer attitudes towards foreign convenience goods; and, thirdly to establish the association between consumer ethnocentrism (CE) and brand selection for a consideration set. A structural model was developed illustrating the relationships (assumed) between consideration and CE. This resulted in the developed of five hypotheses. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted within Durban. A research instrument was developed combining ethnocentrism research and the concept of consideration. Within the study, an explanation of the research methodology utilised was provided. 500 questionnaires were distributed in order to obtain primary data for the purpose of the study. A presentation of the results obtained was provided. An analysis of the collected data was also provided using SPSS 21.0 with the aid of graphs and the appropriate inferential statistics. The research hypotheses were tested using an independent sample Kruskal-Wallis test and a Mann-Whitney U-test. A Spearman’s correlation test was used to test the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and brand consideration. The chi-square test was used to test for the existence of variances within the responses provided by the respondents. The study revealed that only race had a significant relationship with consumer ethnocentrism while other demographic characteristics did not. Ethnocentric tendencies were strongest among Black South Africans. An association was also discovered between consumer ethnocentrism and the consideration of convenience products. The study, therefore, provides a better understanding into South African consumers’ selection of convenience products as influenced by consumer ethnocentrism. The theoretical and practical implications from the research findings have also been discussed within the report with the provision of suggestions regarding future research.