Consumer ethnocentrism, product necessity and Polish consumers’ perceptions of quality

TLDR

Poland is an attractive consumer market, but strong national pride may influence Polish consumers’ behavior, complicating Western marketing. The study examines whether Polish consumers’ perceived product quality varies with ethnocentrism, product necessity, and country of origin. Researchers used consumer ethnocentrism measures and product necessity assessments to identify which products and consumers are likely to be accepted in Poland. Repeated measures ANOVA shows that perceived quality differs by necessity, product, country, and is influenced by consumer ethnocentrism.

Abstract

Abstract Poland appears to be an attractive consumer market, based on strong demand for consumer products during the past several years. However, this may not be the case for Western marketers, because of the influence of strong feelings of national pride on behavior of Polish consumers. Measures of consumer ethnocentrism may provide Western marketers with the information necessary to target consumers who do not allow nationalistic feelings to influence product quality evaluation and purchase behavior. Also, the necessity of the product to consumers may provide marketers with clues on which products will be accepted in the Polish marketplace. The purpose of this study is to learn, for various consumer products, whether Polish consumers' perceptions of product quality differ based on consumer ethnocentric tendency, product necessity, and country of origin. A repeated measures ANOVA test provides empirical evidence that perceived quality differs by necessity, by product, by country, and consumer ethnocentrism influences quality perceptions of Polish consumers.