THE ROLE OF ETHNOCENTRISM, RELIGIOSITY, ANIMOSITY, AND COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN IMAGE, IN FOREIGN PRODUCT PURCHASE INTENTION CASE STUDY: BUYING SAUDI PRODUCTS BY IRANIAN CONSUMERS

ABSTRACT

                             The main objective of the present study is to investigate the role of consumer’s ethnocentrism, religiosity, the country of origin image, and animosity in consumer’s receptivity of buying foreign products. In this regard, research hypotheses were tested based on data gathered from questionnaires distributed among 385 customers of Hyper Star department stores in Tehran by applying structural equation modeling. Data analysis results show that there is a negative and significant relationship between religiosity and purchase intention, religiosity and consumer’s animosity, and also between ethnocentrism and the country of origin image. Besides, research findings confirm the positive significant relationship between religiosity and ethnocentrism, ethnocentrism and consumer’s animosity, the country of origin image and purchase intention, the brand’s country of origin image and product judgment, and product judgment and purchase intention. It was also found that there is negative and significant relationship between consumer’s animosity and purchase intention, and also between consumer’s animosity and the brand’s country of origin image. Nevertheless, the relationships between ethnocentrism and purchase intention, ethnocentrism and product judgment, consumer’s animosity and product judgment, religiosity and product judgment were not supported.

Keywords: Consumer’s Ethnocentrism, Religiosity, Country of Origin Image, Animosity, Purchase Intention