The role of country of origin effect in consumer choice behavior: an exploratory analysis of the perception of Italian wine on Finnish consumers

Abstract

The current phenomenon of globalization, together with the opening of territorial boundaries to the movements of people, goods and capital, have raised many changes. On the one hand they have triggered the process of internationalization of the domestic production, while on the other hand they have greatly increased levels of competition among enterprises and countries, called to find out new competitive strategies aimed at supporting production systems and the promotion of economic development. Within this framework of analysis, the study of the phenomenon of the COO effect led to the deepening of the relationship between the image of the country and competitive advantage. This relationship, if properly managed, can be a competitive lever for both the country and the enterprise. Previous studies emphasized the role of COO effect as tool to influence consumers’ purchasing choices. However, it is important to consider how COO is composed and to identify what other dimensions influence consumers’ consumption behavior. The present study analyzes the consumption behavior of 215 Finnish customers towards Made in Italy products, first in general, and then in the particular case of the consumption of wine. The concept of COO is presented as construct of brand, country and product image; then, the concepts of country reputation and consumer ethnocentrism are described as factors capable of influencing consumers’ purchasing behavior. Findings show that there is dependence between country reputation and purchasing behavior, even though consumer ethnocentrism has a negative impact on products made in other countries.