Conjoining International Marketing and Relationship Marketing: Exploring Consumers’ Cross-Border Service Relationships

Abstract

Research on international marketing constructs, such as consumer ethnocentrism and country-of-origin effects, typically focuses on consumers’ initial evaluations of foreign products but ignores consumers’ emerging cross-border exchange relationships with foreign service providers. The influence of international marketing constructs on the development of these relationships also seems to be largely ignored. The authors call for new research on cross-border service relationships and integration of relationship marketing with international marketing models. They introduce an exploratory test and develop a research agenda that identifies several avenues for further research. The empirical test involves a study of German consumers who regularly cross the German–Dutch border to attend to their accounts with a foreign (i.e., Dutch) bank. Loyalty to the foreign financial service provider may be explained using substantive relational antecedents, such as satisfaction, trust, and value, and international marketing antecedents, such as consumer ethnocentrism and consumer beliefs about the industry. The results show that the international variables complement the relationship model. The authors discuss the managerial and research implications and provide avenues for further research.

Emerging Markets Commerce: The Role of Country-of-Origin and Animosity in Purchase Intention

“…In terms of the theory of signals, reputation is more useful as a generator of trust when firms and their products are not well known, as happens with foreign firms and products (Nijssen, Singh, Sirdeshmukh & Holzmuelle, 2003). Under such circumstances, reputation of firms from a particular country becomes an evaluation criterion for available offer and a cornerstone in the construction of a trust-based relationship (Michaelis, Woisetschläger, Backhaus & Ahlert, 2008;Nijssen & Herk, 2009). Thus, the first hypothesis proposes that:…”

Antecedents to Consumer Ethnocentrism: A Fuzzy Logic-Based Analysis Study

“…Indeed, exploring consumers' attitudes towards domestic and foreign products can help local and global marketers to conduct more effective local and global marketing strategies (Chéron and Hayashi, 2001). Despite the sharp increase in foreign made products availability all around the world, little research focused on this interesting development (Lim and Darley, 2009).The increased consumer awareness of foreign cultures, global markets and foreign brands has increased the importance of studies that explore consumer ethnocentric tendencies (Nijssen and Herk, 2009). In this context, the concept of consumer ethnocentrism can help marketers to conduct effective marketing strategies.…”

The Impacts of Consumer Ethnocentrism on Foreign Product Judgment and Local Helping Purchase: A Case of Malaysian Cross-Border Shoppers in Hatyai, Thailand

“…Jarratt (1998) supported that during these trips to a neighbouring country, cross-border shoppers may participate in other activities such as going to the movies, visiting a museum and an historic or natural attraction, eating in a restaurant, and staying in local accommodations. Some authors elaborated that cross-border shopping is the purchase and the consumption that take place in border areas beyond one's own national state border, regardless of whether the products are bought and consumed on the other side, or are brought back to the home country, and it includes a broad range of products and services (Follo, 2003;Kim & Sullivan, 2003;Nijssen & Herk, 2009). …”