Consumer Awareness, Ethnocentrism and Loyalty: An Integrative Model

This article examines the relationships among consumer awareness, ethnocentrism, and loyalty toward imported poultry meat products. Four hundred consumers were randomly intercepted while shopping in major supermarkets using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The structural equation modeling technique was used to test the integrative model. The results show that consumer awareness positively influences consumer ethnocentrism, while consumer awareness does not influence consumer loyalty. The results also reveal that consumer ethnocentrism negatively influences consumer loyalty. It is recommended that marketers consider consumer awareness, ethnocentrism, and loyalty when designing marketing programs in developing countries such as Zimbabwe. Poultry marketers are advised to offer quality products accompanied by aggressive promotions to improve their image. Foreign poultry marketers should also consider setting up manufacturing facilities in developing countries such as Zimbabwe so that their products may be viewed as appropriate and contributing to the development of these economies.