Country of origin effect on websites - does it exist?: A mixed method thesis on consumer behaviour

Abstract: The aim of this thesis was to explore if the country of origin effect exists in relation to websites and if so, what consumer behaviours are related to the awareness level of retail website nationality. The country of origin effect has not been studied in an online context, and not for websites, which was the identified gap in previous research which the thesis aimed to explore. Due to the explorative nature of the thesis, a mixed method approach was used with a qualitative part consisting of focus groups and a quantitative part consisting of a self-questionnaire survey. Focus groups were held in order to deepen the understanding of the topic and generate propositions. The propositions were then tested statistically. The combined result of the study showed that the country of origin effect does indeed exist in relation to websites. Furthermore, the awareness level of retail website nationality correlated strongly to the personal traits of the respondents, but not to practical barriers. The three personal traits that were statistically confirmed to correlate to the awareness level of website nationality were level of online experience, attitude towards purchases from psychically distant countries and finally whether they value previous knowledge of retail websites or not. These findings aim to help shed a new light on the country of origin effect in a modern setting, and contributes theoretically by confirming its existence in relation to websites. Furthermore, the study identified three consumer behaviour attitudes that directly impacted the shown level of awareness of website nationality.