Exploring the Impact of Country-of-Origin Image and Purchase Intention in Cross-Border E-Commerce

Abstract

Product country-of-origin (COO) is now playing a central role in consumers’ purchase behavior. Previous studies have investigated several factors that impact COO. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of COO on consumers’ product evaluation on Chinese products, especially in the cross-border e-commerce context. Using a multi-methods design, this study first unearthed the antecedents of COO image towards Chinese products from the qualitative data in Study 1 by drawing on the legitimacy theory and then develops a contextual model of consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intention, integrating the role of a product with a different level of involvement. Using quantitative survey data from 252 foreign consumers, the study tests the research model in Study 2. The findings provide empirical evidence to support the model and highlight the importance of COO cues on foreign consumers’ purchase intention towards Chinese products. The results also enhance our understanding of consumers’ purchase decision in cross-border e-commerce.

Consumer behaviour in cross‐border e‐commerce: Systematic literature review and future research agenda

“…Only one study was found to adopt mixed methods combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches, that is, interviews and surveys (Bao et al, 2022). The results of the qualitative stage informed the conceptualization and operationalization in the subsequent quantitative stage.…”

“…For instance, individual capabilities, such as self-efficacy in international online shopping (Han et al, 2018) and exploitative and explorative IT use (Han & Kim, 2019), were stimuli triggering purchase intention. The desire for uniqueness (Han et al, 2018), ethnocentrism (Bao et al, 2022) and disposition to trust (Tikhomirova et al, 2021) have been highlighted…”

“…Most survey studies adopted a retrospective design by recruiting only experienced customers who had purchased on CBEC platforms or used such platforms to collect information about their past experiences and ensure the participants had an adequate understanding of CBEC. Four studies largely used student samples (Bao et al, 2022; Pei et al, 2016; Ramkumar & Jin, 2019; Shao et al, 2021), which might undermine research generalizability.…”

“…Bao et al (2022) Disposition to trust: individuals' propensity to trust other peopleTikhomirova et al (2021) Risk perception Transaction risk: the potential negative outcomes resulted from purchasing activities in CBECMou, Cui, and Kurcz (2020),Yang et al (2020),Sun and Li (2022),Jian et al (2022) …”

Analysis of Effects on the Dual Circulation Promotion Policy for Cross-Border E-Commerce B2B Export Trade Based on System Dynamics during COVID-19

“…He believed that the O2O (Online To Offline) mode was the best mode for cross-border e-commerce B2C selling high-priced products. Bao [20] mined the antecedent variables of the impact of the Chinese product image on consumption intention from qualitative data and then developed a contextual model of consumer product evaluation and purchase intention. The results show that cross-border e-commerce platforms could enhance consumers' willingness to consume Chinese products by improving product quality, cost control, brand image, and enterprise strength.…”