Abstract
The increase in the number of brands, products and services that are available on the market makes it more and more difficult for consumers to choose between alternatives that satisfy their needs. In general, consumers will evaluate the alternatives available by judging one or several cues: informational stimuli about or relating to a product, that can be judged by the consumer prior to consumption (cf. Steenkamp 1989). Examples of cues include product appearance, brand name and geographic origin. Depending on personal, situational and product characteristics consumers will select those cues that they believe to give an adequate impression of whether or not the product will satisfy their current needs. Besides providing consumers with information about the product’s benefits, cues may also affect consumer decision making in other ways, e.g., by evoking emotions or imagery. This chapter is devoted to a product cue known to affect consumer behavior in multiple ways, i.e., the product’s geographic origin. The research that we discuss is concerned with countries and regions1 of origin, but maybe generalized to include other geographic areas, like trade blocks (e.g., European Union) or cities. Furthermore, the term “origin” is to be understood broadly, and does not necessarily mean that the product is actually manufactured, produced or designed at the specified location. As we will discuss below, a product may also be associated with a particular origin through advertising or branding.
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Verlegh, P.W.J., van Ittersum, K. (2001). The Origin of the Spices: The Impact of Geographic Product Origin on Consumer Decision Making. In: Frewer, L.J., Risvik, E., Schifferstein, H. (eds) Food, People and Society. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04601-2_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04601-2_17
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