The Role of Countries of Origins, Attitudes, Buying Intention and the Self-Esteem in Smartphone Usage

Abstract

Consumers' behaviors are easily influenced by inner factors such as attitudes, intentions, and self-esteem, and by external factors like country of origin. It's crucial for businesses to grasp the changing of behaviors in consumers when facing the competition and the ever-changing environment. This research, choosing smartphones market as the target, use the methodof experimental design and takes consumer self-esteem asthe intervening variable to conduct a survey with 400 subjects coming from five cities in Taiwan (Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung). This research, targeted at smartphones, aims to understand how the brand operators confront with the competition among their own brands and other local or foreign brands, and further overcome the difference of purchasing behavior among targeted consumers, and strengthen its channel management, finally maintaining the market share. The results show that the country of origin of a smartphone brand has a certain extent of influence on consumers' attitude, buying intentions, and self-esteem. The consumer enjoys the unique experience with higher self-esteem, and since one of the components building up the self-esteem is "Selfhood", which means a feeling of individuality or awareness of unique qualities. It is hoped that this study may provide the evidence-based approach for academic research and associated industries, and further become a feasible reference being applied in other research fields.