Does country-of-origin matter in the era of globalisation? Evidence from cross sectional data in Uzbekistan

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the consistency over time of customer attitude towards country-of-origin in a transitional economy. Design/methodology/approach A single cross-sectional study in Uzbekistan was carried out, with n=527, consisting of 374 street and 153 online surveys, replicating a study carried out 20 years earlier. Findings Whilst consumers still perceive products from advanced countries to have higher quality, quality perception in relation to country-of-origin information is dynamic and transitional countries can improve the perception of consumers towards their national brands. Research limitations/implications This study was carried out in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, the most populous of the Central Asian republics. Researchers may wish to extend it by examining COO effects in other transitional economies, and additionally to examine the effect of country-of-brand origin. Practical implications Customer perceptions and attitudes take a long-time to evolve. This cross-sectional study showed that the COO perception of China has improved significantly and the perception towards the products produced locally in Uzbekistan has also slightly improved across all categories. Strong brands can contribute to the image of the country. Transition countries need to take appropriate marketing actions to cultivate positive perception through innovation and branding. Originality/value Prior research has been extended by adding new product categories such as mobile phones, computers, washing machines and air conditioners. This research shows that government officials and exporters in developing countries should prioritise strengthening their country’s image to help domestic marketers export and attract foreign investors. The authors provide insights for marketers to understand the impact of product country-of-origin on customer purchase intention and its antecedents in transitional economies, such as Uzbekistan.

The effect of country - of - origin image trough quality, design and attractiveness related to product on consumer loyalty

“…When consumers have positive image of a country and its products, they are ready to buy such products again because in that way they avoid risk of making the wrong choice. Research shows that consumer attachment to products originating from a country towards which they have positive attitude is a consequence of positive perception of product characteristics, with products from certain countries being considered to be of high quality, attractive design and high technological development (Ahmed & d'Astous, 2015;Coudounaris, 2018;Karimov & El-Murad, 2019).…”

Brand types applied by emerging markets’ firms: Country of brand origin and brand use motives

“…The negative impact of the country of brand origin (COBO) is one of the key barriers to foreign expansion of emerging markets' firms and brands (Chao, Samiee, & Yip, 2004;Karimov & El-Murad, 2018). Consumers perceive products and brands from developed countries as better than those from emerging markets (Josiassen & Harzing, 2008), which is reflected in customers' behaviour (Thakor & Lavack, 2003).…”

The influence of changes in brand origin and country of manufacture on willingness to pay for a brand: an experimental study with Brazilian consumers

“…They can highlight the country of origin information in order to gain competitive advantage in the global marketplace (Maheswaran et. al, 2013) and develop positioning strategies (Karimov & El-Murad, 2019).…”

“…In addition, "country image is decomposed in the case of hybrid products" (Jaffe & Nebenzahl, 2006, p. 119). Country of manufacture (COM) is more associated product and brand quality (Aruan et al, 2018;Karimov & El-Murad, 2019) while brand origin (BO) is more related with brand image (Hamzaoui-Essoussi et al, 2011).…”

“…However, the interplay between BO and COM produced a confounding outcome in past literature comparing brand effects and country of manufacture effects (Hui & Zhou, 2003), e. g., findings are still inconclusive about the most relevant cue: BO or COM (Bartikowski, Fastoso, & Gierl, 2019;Phau & Prendergast, 2000;Coskun & Burnaz, 2016). This is critical because consumers still value both brand origin (BO) and country of manufacture (COM) (Ha-Brookshire & Yoon, 2012) and these cues are important to create brand equity (Loureiro & Kaufmann, 2017) and to underpin international marketers positioning strategies (Bartikowski et al, 2019;Karimov & El-Murad, 2019).…”