New Zealand Consumers’ Attitudes towards Australian, United States, Japanese, German and Chinese Products and Marketing Practices

Authors:
Gurvinder Shergill, Massey University
Lin Tong, Sun Ac Corporation

Abstract: This paper explores New Zealand consumers’ attitudes and perceptions towards the products and corresponding marketing practices of different countries, as well as their product purchasing and using preferences. The study was initiated due to a lack of Country of Origin studies in New Zealand and a desire to replicate Bhuian’s (1997) study. Data were collected from 201 respondents living in Auckland during 2004 using a standardised questionnaire. The results indicated that Country of Origin effects existed in the New Zealand market and significantly affected consumers’ attitudes towards foreign products and marketing practices. In general, New Zealand consumers perceived the product marketing performance of Japan and Germany most favourably, followed by the United States and Australia. Chinese products were perceived to have the poorest marketing performance among the five selected countries. Implications of these findings are discussed.