Empirical Validation of the Country-of-Cultural Origin Model: Does Cultural Experience Affect Purchase Intention?

Abstract

Abstract As we live in an age of social media where pop mass-culture of foreign origin permeates deep into many realms of living and consumption behavior of the host country, it seems highly appropriate to investigate how global transmission of pop culture makes an impact on the host consumers’ purchase decisions on the products of cultural origin. To further investigate this phenomenon, this research proposes “C-O-CO (country-of-cultural origin) model” that embraces two mediating factors (e.g., country image and SNS-based WOM) and two personal factors (e.g., demographics and individualism). We found that host consumers’ cultural experience directly influences their intention to buy products of cultural origin or indirectly through country image and WOM. Further, we found that individualism significantly moderates the relationship between the cultural experience and WOM. Finally, demographics play a role on consumers’ experience of foreign pop culture.