A cross-national study of apparel consumer preferences and the role of product-evaluative cues

Abstract

Although internationalization has been embraced or at least considered by many companies, it is not easy to fully understand consumer needs in different socio-cultural contexts. Consumers are not one homogenous group around the globe-people in different nations have diverse cultural backgrounds and societal values. Previous studies (e.g., Rahman et al., 2010; Tse and Wong, 1993) indicate that any specific product attribute may have different effects on consumer perception, preferences and buying decisions depending upon the nation in which that product is sold. In other words, universal or standardized products may not appeal to everyone, due to divergences in cultural and societal norms. According to many cross-cultural studies (Hofstede, 2001; Kim et al., 1998; Park and Jun, 2003), Asian consumers are relatively collectivistic in their social values, whereas consumers from the West are more individualistic. Collectivists are more concerned with social conformity, group affiliation, and interpersonal harmony (Kim et al., 1999; Park and Jun, 2003), while, on the other hand, individualists' main concerns include self-expression, autonomy, and personal and experiential needs (Gong et al., 2004; Lam, 1997). However, the value systems in many collectivistic countries such as China, Korea and India have undergone tremendous changes over the last few decades. Through various forms of digital media platforms available on the Internet (e.g., Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat), individuals living in the East have been highly influenced by Western culture and ideologies, and their traditional social values have been challenged. It is not uncommon to see both traditional/Eastern values and individualistic/Western values coexisting within one society, particularly among youth (Kouyama, 1990; Lu, 2004). In order to be successful in this fast-changing cultural milieu, it is imperative for multinational companies to understand their consumers' needs and aspirations in different markets. However, there are relatively few research studies (e.g., Goldsmith et al., 1993; Kim et al., 2002; Rahman et al., 2010) have focused on apparel consumer behaviour, and the salient impact of various product cues-particularly from a cross-national perspective. Our research seeks to enrich our understanding of consumer preferences and behaviour in two different countries in particular-Canada (located in the "West") and China (located in the "East"). These two countries were selected because there are significant differences in their social, cultural and economic conditions (Rahman et al., 2010; Hofstede, 1984). Studying Canadian and Chinese consumer behaviour will provide international retailers more specific information on product development and marketing strategies for each individual country-and by extrapolation, other countries in the West and East. The next section of this paper reviews previous literature related to consumer behaviour when purchasing apparel, the role of product-evaluative cues, consumer preferences across nations, and...

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