Cultural
differences in, and influences on, consumers’propensity to adopt innovations
Sangeeta
Singh
Department of
Marketing, Norwegian School of Management,
Sandvika, Norway
International Marketing Review
Vol. 23 No. 2, 2006
pp. 173-191
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship
between national culture and
adoption of new products, ideas, or behaviour to suggest a framework
for distinguishing between
innovative and imitative behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach – The four dimensions propounded by
Hofstede are used to
distinguish national cultures for developing hypotheses pertaining to
patterns of adoption of new
products, namely innovative and imitative behaviour of consumers and
the sources of influence that
instigate them into such behaviours.
Findings – Results from the study provide support for some of the
hypothesised effects which
suggest that indeed, certain dimensions of culture are a key factor in
determining whether or not
consumers will display a propensity to innovate. Specifically, it was
found that cultures characterised
by small power distance, weak uncertainty avoidance and masculinity
will demonstrate
innovativeness. The findings also indicate that consumers coming from
different national cultures
are going to vary in their susceptibility to normative influences and
interpersonal communications.
Consumers coming from a large power distance, strong uncertainty
avoidance and/or feminine
cultures are going to be convinced into adopting new products through
normative influences while
those from more collectivistic cultures are more likely to be swayed by
interpersonal communications.
Originality/value – These results offer possibilities of influencing
consumers into adopting new
products by using different methods that are dependent on the national
culture.
Keywords National cultures, Innovation, Interpersonal communications,
Behaviour
Paper type Research paper.
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