Consumer ethnocentrism: Comparing findings from Turkey and Colombia

In terms of consumption, ethnocentrism constitutes an important explanatory factor of the consumer's orientations regarding products manufactured outside their country of residence. Due to the constant growth of international trade; access to products from different origins has multiplied exponentially in the international markets. In this sense, explaining the role of the CE on the willingness to buy foreign products, has been focus of great interest since it is decisive for the success of the companies' strategies in local and foreign markets. It could be said that the literature on CE is extensive and complete. However, the accumulation of CE researches in developed countries is evident; despite the fact that 80% of the world's population lives in developing countries and emerging economies, researches on this topic does not reflect the importance of developing countries in the global economy. The present research aims to investigate the CE, its demographic (gender, age, educational level, income) and psychographic antecedents (values), and its effects on willingness to buy foreign products in different national contexts, consequently, two developing markets were object of study: Turkey and Colombia. Research's method is quantitative, defined as a descriptive study, directed to 384 Turkish consumers and 384 Colombian consumers using the CETSCALE, LOV scale, and WTB scale through the online tool of Google Forms. All statistical analyzes were made through IBM Statistical Programs. The findings show that CE is affected positively by Age and Internal Locus of Control Values. In same way, and as expected CE is affected positively by Income, Educational Level, and External Locus of Control Values. T-Test revealed that level of Ethnocentrism is independent of the consumer's gender. Results also provide strong support for the effect of CE on WTB, in this sense, consumers with higher CE are less willing to buy foreign products. Keywords: Consumer Ethnocentrism, CETSCALE, LOV, Turkey, Colombia.