Toritama jeans: product and place-of-origin image as drivers of purchase intention

Purpose This study aims to investigate how product image and place-of-origin image influence consumers’ purchase intention, focusing on jeans produced in Toritama (Pernambuco, Brazil). Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was administered online to 501 consumers of Toritama jeans in Pernambuco (Brazil). The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that both product image and place-of-origin image positively influence purchase intention. In addition, a strong positive association was observed between product image and place-of-origin image, representing the highest structural coefficient in the proposed model. This finding highlights the close relationship between these constructs in the context of Toritama jeans and reinforces the importance of considering both dimensions when examining consumers’ purchase intention. Practical implications The study indicates that, for a regionally produced good like Toritama jeans, cultivating a positive and consistent image of both the product and its sub-national place of origin is key to increasing purchase intention. Given the strong link between the two, producers and local institutions should build them in tandem, because a stronger place image lifts the product, and vice versa. Originality/value Product image and place-of-origin image have been extensively examined, but chiefly at the country-of-origin level. Comparatively little is known about how place-of-origin image works at a sub-national scale to influence the intention to purchase such regional products.