Chinese distribution practitioners' attitudes towards Italian quality foods

Abstract

Purpose: Food products' ultimate destination is intended for the general public, but those who supply the international markets are usually composed of a relatively small group of businessmen including international buyers, purchasing agents and importers. Understanding the motivation behind their purchasing decisions and the perceptions they have of the source countries can be considered a key factor in developing a successful marketing approach. This study focuses on understanding the position of such a powerful minority towards imported Italian, high-quality agro-food products in China, as well as the current communication, marketing, strategic and organizational approaches of Italian producers, especially compared to other European competitors. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory approach based on qualitative interviews is adopted, with the aim of highlighting Chinese perceptions regarding Italian food suppliers' relevant strengths and weaknesses. The primary data were collected through personal interviews with 25 key informants in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Findings: Survey results indicated that while Italian products are appreciated, current market shares remain inferior to other countries due to inadequate marketing strategies and low investments in promotion. Price sensitivity of Chinese consumers, less-established distribution channels, and competition with local products hindered further the market penetration. Chinese distribution practitioners' attitudes towards Italian quality foods MARCHESINI M., HULIYETI H., CANAVARI M.

Italian Food? Sounds Good! Made in Italy and Italian Sounding Effects on Food Products' Assessment by Consumers

“…Moreover, while such a literature often advocated that the IS phenomenon has a negative economic impact on the global Made in Italy agro-food sector, with its financial impact considered at a macro-economic levelrecent estimates from Italian institutional bodies or economic specialized press placed it in the range of e50-90 billion per year and, in some cases, near to almost e100 billion per yearthere are not many evidences of how the IS phenomenon affects the single individual's micro-economic decision (e.g., in terms of WTP for purchasing a single specific agro-food item by the single consumer). IS spreading is most prevalent in China and the USA: according to some sources, most counterfeit products on the European market come from China (Cheung and Prendergast, 2006;Lin, 2011;Zimmerman, 2013), and the US market is the one with the largest amount of false Italian food (IPR Desk NY, 2010Federalimentare, 2016), although both countries register an increasing level of appreciation for Italian products (Girardelli, 2004;Huliyeti et al, 2008;Vianelli and Pegan, 2014). As for the USA, IS is particularly frequent in metropolitan areas, with large Italian-American communities and above-average incomes, and it results from the need for US companiesoften created by Italian-Americans and subsequently absorbed by multinationals-to respond to the increasing demand for Italian food (Vianelli and Marzano, 2013).…”

“…The second study was performed to measure the effects of the product label on perception, attitude, reputation, and WTP for a product (typically associated to Italy), by using three or four different product forms (PDO Made in Italy, Made in Italy, IS, and Generic Foreign) and by assessing more detailed reputational profiles by means of a standard tool (Bonaiuto et al, 2017;De Dominicis et al, 2020) in China considering two different sub-samples (Chinese and non-Chinese), which are relevant for their different cultural background in that national market (Huliyeti et al, 2008;Vianelli and Pegan, 2014). The third study was performed to measure the effects of the product label on perception, attitude, reputation, and WTP for a product (typically associated to Italy), by using three different product forms (Made in Italy, IS, and Generic Foreign) and by assessing detailed reputational profiles by means of a standard tool (Bonaiuto et al, 2017;De Dominicis et al, 2020) in the USA (Cembalo et al, 2008).…”

“…The main aim of Study 2 is to confirm and enlarge the findings that emerged in Study 1, that is, to investigate how non-Italian subjects perceive, in terms of reputation and attitude, and are willing to pay for an agro-food product associated to Italy (pasta) presented in three forms, differentiated by label ( Made in Italy, Italian Sounding , and Generic Foreign ), in a different linguistic and cultural context. In order to shed light on the process by which Made in Italy and Italian Sounding products can gain a competitive advantage on foreign products and to deepen the knowledge of Italian Sounding effects within one of the main global markets, the study has been conducted on a first sample of Chinese citizens (Huliyeti et al, 2008 ; Vianelli et al, 2012a ), as well as on a second sample of non-Italian expatriates in China (to check for the hypothesized effects in the same cultural place but on a different cultural group). In general, the first sample (Chinese citizens in China) is expected to be vulnerable to the Italian Sounding effects (i.e., Italian Sounding product perceived and treated similarly to the Made in Italy one), while the second sample (non-Italian expatriates in China) is expected to be less vulnerable to the Italian Sounding effects (i.e., Italian Sounding product perceived and treated at a lower lever compared to the Made in Italy ones).…”

“…The compulsory affixing of PDO, Protected Designation of Origin; PGI, Protected Geographical Indication; TSG, Traditional Specialty Guaranteed labels to products ensures consumers' safety with certification of working methods, reputation of places of production, traceability, and risk management of food (World Trade Organization, 1994). Italian agro-food distinctive products constitute about 80% of domestic exports in the food sector, with a recent growing appreciation especially in China (Huliyeti et al, 2008;Snaiderbaur, 2009;Vianelli et al, 2012a).…”

Exploring Meal and Snacking Behaviour of Older Adults in Australia and China

“…In contrast, the older Australian QMA participants showed less interest in trying new products unless they were highly recommended by trusted people. Chinese culture differs significantly from Western and even other Asian cultures, so consumers have different values and a different perception of product attributes [44][45][46].…”