Are retail buyers impacted by product country of origin and familiarity? A multidimensional approach

The paper analyses the effect of Country Related Product Image (CRPI) and product familiarity (PF) on retail buyers, a type of professional actor on which the COO literature is lacking and that requires further understanding. Moreover, the study contributes to the COO literature by testing the impact of CRPI, investigated in a multidimensional approach, jointly with PF. Shoes and ceramic tiles are considered in order to verify if these effects on retail buyers purchase intentions change in relation to specific product categories. The research hypotheses are tested by conducting a survey on a sample of 257 Chinese retail buyers. Results show that the CRPI is a multidimensional construct that influences the intention of Chinese retail buyers to buy Italian products. However, when we consider PF the impact of CRPI dimensions decreases. Theoretical and managerial implications are derived.