Sometimes the association springs from a nationalistic spirit. Based on results from surveys and in-depth interviews, researchers at University of Queensland in Australia and University of Alaska-Fairbanks say that Chinese consumers are so uncomfortable buying products from the West that they mentally work to connect the brands to important moments in Chinese history, like Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution and Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms.
The association between country of origin and perceptions of quality can change. Decades ago, American consumers generally avoided any item they learned was manufactured in Japan, since Japan was associated with slapdash production. Then publicity surrounding Japanese attention to quality assurance and the high marks given by objective raters—particularly to Japanese-manufactured automobiles—led to American retailers considering a “Made in Japan” label as a selling aid. Now with the current troubles Toyota is having, perceptions of Japanese quality might fade again, augmented by a rise in “Keep Americans Working” spirit.
When country-of-origin information helps you make the sale, feature it. Findings from researchers at University of Illinois and Hanyang University in South Korea indicate that featuring it means presenting country-of-origin information well before you present other information about the product. Even mentioning country-of-origin immediately before describing other product attributes didn’t generate maximum effectiveness. The research findings say to do it about a day in advance.
This would mean stating country-of-origin in ads a shopper would see before arranging to come to buy from you. To feature country-of-origin information in personal selling, state it as the first item and pause for a few seconds after saying it so the information starts brewing in the shopper’s brain.
For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers
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