Patronage Intention on Hypermarket

Increasing competition in the marketplace due to globalization has led to intensified efforts to comprehend significant variables that influence consumers’ patronage intention toward retail establishment. In this context, an understanding of patronage behavior, specifically patronage intention is a critical issue for retail managers because it subsequently may lead to consumer’s decision in making actual purchase. Thus it is imperative that marketing practitioners and scholars understand the potential factors that may affect consumer’s decision to patronize the store.

Another dimension that may have an influence on store patronage is culture. The influence of culture on consumer behavior has been extensively recognized and has drawn substantial interest in consumer decision making study, especially in understanding consumer preference and acceptance of global brands.

Essentially, this study is conducted following the limitation of Lim and O’Cass (2001) study that pioneered the conceptualization of Culture of Brand Origin (COBO). Albeit they have arrived at the conclusion that COBO information is more readily identify to the origin of the brand in the assessment of the clothing brand, it is indicated that classifying either an eastern or western culture (the dimensions use in their study) is inadequate to address the significant influence of culture in determining consumers’ perception and evaluation of the brand. Hence, it is imperative that COBO concept should also look into the role of language, particularly the brand name linguistic element as an alternative variable for the COBO. In addition, this is eventually in line with Usunier (2011) recent called for further study to be undertaken to examine consumers’ accuracy in inferring the origin of the brand based on its linguistic components.

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