Consumer attitudes towards local products: Basic conceptualization in the context of antecedents and consequences

The effect of globalization on consumption habits has led to an increase in global competition, and consumers tend to seek the options that will make them the happiest and provide the most benefit among a wide variety of alternatives. That search can undoubtedly result in different patterns regarding the symbolic value of the products and the local-global distinction. Today, consumers' tendencies towards products at different points on the local-global axis have been suggested as an important market segmentation tool that shapes and triggers their consumption experiences. At this point, local products play a role in reflecting the traditional cultures of the regions and affect consumer preferences. In this context, the study's main purpose is to examine consumer attitudes towards local products in the context of antecedents and consequences. In the analysis process carried out with the help of the partial least squares method and the Smart PLS program, consumer cosmopolitanism was measured as a formative structure, whereas all the other structures were measured as reflective structures. The results reveal the effects of consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism, which are affected by local and global identity perceptions, on the attitude towards local products in the context of product characteristics and experience dimensions, despite suggesting opposite ends of local/foreign product consumption. Positive attitudes towards local products, on the other hand, positively affect purchasing tendencies towards these products. The study was concluded with inferences and suggestions to reach effective marketing strategies for local products.