Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior
Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 23:181–192, 2011 Copyright c 2011 Marieke de Mooij and Geert Hofstede BV ISSN: 0896-1530 print / 1528-7068 online DOI: 10.1080/08961530.2011.578057
Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior: A Review of Research Findings
Marieke de Mooij Geert Hofstede
ABSTRACT. Most aspects of consumer behavior are culture-bound. This article reviews the cultural relationships with the self, personality, and attitude, which are the basis of consumer behavior models and branding and advertising strategies. The Hofstede model is used to explain variance. Other consumer behavior aspects reviewed are motivation and emotions, cognitive processes such as abstract versus concrete thinking, categorization and information processing, as well as consumer behavior domains such as product ownership, decision making, and adoption and diffusion of innovations. Implications for global branding and advertising are included. KEYWORDS. Culture, dimensions, personality, self, emotion, global branding, communication
INTRODUCTION
Recent years have seen increased interest in the influence of culture on consumer behavior as well as increased research. In this article we review studies of the influence of culture that are relevant to international marketing. We discuss the various areas of research following the components of human behavior as structured in our Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior Framework (figure 1), which was inspired by a conceptual model by Manrai and Manrai (1996). In this framework we structure the cultural components of the person in terms of consumer attributes and processes, and the cultural components of behavior in terms of consumer behavior domains. Income interferes. If there is no income, there is little or no consumption, so income is placed in a separate box. The attributes of
the person refer to what people are (the who) and the processes refer to what moves people (the how). The central question is “Who am I?” and in what
Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior: A Review of Research Findings
Marieke de Mooij Geert Hofstede
ABSTRACT. Most aspects of consumer behavior are culture-bound. This article reviews the cultural relationships with the self, personality, and attitude, which are the basis of consumer behavior models and branding and advertising strategies. The Hofstede model is used to explain variance. Other consumer behavior aspects reviewed are motivation and emotions, cognitive processes such as abstract versus concrete thinking, categorization and information processing, as well as consumer behavior domains such as product ownership, decision making, and adoption and diffusion of innovations. Implications for global branding and advertising are included. KEYWORDS. Culture, dimensions, personality, self, emotion, global branding, communication
INTRODUCTION
Recent years have seen increased interest in the influence of culture on consumer behavior as well as increased research. In this article we review studies of the influence of culture that are relevant to international marketing. We discuss the various areas of research following the components of human behavior as structured in our Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior Framework (figure 1), which was inspired by a conceptual model by Manrai and Manrai (1996). In this framework we structure the cultural components of the person in terms of consumer attributes and processes, and the cultural components of behavior in terms of consumer behavior domains. Income interferes. If there is no income, there is little or no consumption, so income is placed in a separate box. The attributes of
the person refer to what people are (the who) and the processes refer to what moves people (the how). The central question is “Who am I?” and in what