International retail brand origin recognition

Recent academic literature into consumer perceptions of Country of Origin (C-O-O) raises questions regarding the importance of this concept, indicating that few consumers have clear or accurate perceptions of products’ or brands’ C-O-O. In contrast, the international retailing literature suggests that place, or C-O-O, is important to large and small retail luxury brands operating in international markets. However, these findings are part of wider studies on internationalisation rather than dedicated studies of C-O-O in a retail context. The current research addresses this gap in the literature and provides a cross-cultural, empirical analysis into the relationship between C-O-O recognition and brand perceptions for luxury and middle-market retail brands. Results indicate significant differences in C-O-O recognition among cultures and among luxury versus middle-market international retail brands, suggesting that brand provenance and authenticity plays a role in brand recognition.