Who are Xenocentric Consumers? A Review of the Demographics and Socio-Psychological Attributes
Abstract
In sociology, xenocentrism represents the preference for out-group cultures, norms, and values over the in-group. In marketing, consumer xenocentrism refers to consumers' favoritism for foreign-made products. The findings of previous studies have shown that various factors influence consumer xenocentrism, including the perceived quality of foreign products, the desire for social status, and cultural stereotypes. This paper focuses on the profiles of xenocentric consumers that distinguish them from in-group consumers. Besides demographic differences, socio-psychologically, xenocentric consumers are more open to other cultures and belong to marginalized groups. Understanding the profiles of xenocentric consumers may help marketers of both local and foreign brands segment and approach their target markets innovatively.
Downloads
References
Balabanis, G., & Diamantopoulos, A. (2016). Consumer Xenocentrism as Determinant of Foreign Product Preference: A System Justification Perspective. Journal of International Marketing. 24(3), 58–77. https://doi.org/10.1509/JIM.15.0138
Batra, R., Ramaswamy, V., Alden, D. L., Steenkamp, J. B. E. M., & Ramachander, S. (2000). Effects of Brand Local and Non-Local Origin on Consumer Attitudes in Developing Countries. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 11(4), 317–331. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327663JCP0902_3
Camacho, L. J., Salazar-Concha, C., & Ramírez-Correa, P. (2020). The Influence of Xenocentrism on Purchase Intentions of the Consumer: The Mediating Role of Product Attitudes. Sustainability, 12(4), 1647. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041647
Cleveland, M. & Anjana Balakrishnan (2019). Appreciating vs. Venerating Cultural Out-groups: The Psychology of Cosmopolitanism and Xenocentrism. International Marketing Review, 36 (3), 416–44. https://doi.org/:10.1108/IMR-09-2018-0260
De Mooij, M. (2021). Global Marketing and Advertising: Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. 3rd Ed. Sage.
Diamantopoulos, A., Davydova, O., & Arslanagic-Kalajdzic, M. (2019). Modeling the Role of Consumer Xenocentrism in Impacting Preferences for Domestic and Foreign Brands: A Mediation Analysis. Journal of Business Research, 104, 587–596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.12.007
Diamantopoulos, A., Matarazzo, M., Mrad, M., & Maack, M. (2025). Consumer Xenocentrism and Well-Being: Conspicuous Consumption Orientation, Brand Addiction, and Self-Esteem. Journal of International Marketing, 33(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069031X241264992
Gurhan-Calli, Z., Sarial-Ab, G. & Hayran, C. (2018). Consumers and Brands across the Globe: Research Synthesis and New Directions. Journal of International Marketing, 26(1), 96-117. https://doi.org/10.1509/jim.17.0063
Hooley, G., Nicoulaud, B., Rudd, J., & Lee, N. (2020). Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning, 7th Ed. Pearson
Keillor, B. D., D’Amico, M., & Horton, V. (2001). Global Consumer Tendencies. Psychology & Marketing, 18 (1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6793(200101)18:1<1::AID-MAR1>3.0.CO;2-U
Kent, D. P., & Burnight, R. G. (1951). Group Centrism in Complex Societies. American Journal of Sociology, 57(3), 256-259. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/220943
Lawrence, S. J. (2012). Consumer Xenocentrism and Consumer Cosmopolitanism: The Development and Validation of Scales of Constructs Influencing Attitudes Towards Foreign Product Consumption. Dissertation. Wayne State University.
Mueller, R. D., & Broderick, A. J. (2010). Consumer Xenocentrism: An Alternative Explanation for Foreign Product Bias. Proceedings of Annual Hawaii International Business Research Conference, 27-28 September 2010 (Zin Haqq, ed.). Honolulu, Hawaii. Australia: World Business Institute.
Mueller, R. D., Wang, G. X., Liu, G., & Cui, C. C. (2016). Consumer Xenocentrism in China: An Exploratory Study. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 28(1), 73–91. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-11-2014-0158
Nam, K. A. (1998). Confucian-Based Cultural Values and Influence on Portrayal of Women in Korean Television Commercials. In Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast Conference Proceedings.
Nguyen, N. & Pham, T. (2021). Consumer Attitudinal Dispositions: A Missing Link Between Socio-Cultural Phenomena and Purchase Intention of Foreign Products: An Empirical Research on Young Vietnamese Consumers. Cogent Business & Management, 8:1, 1884345. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1884345
Prince, M., Davies, M. A., Cleveland, M., & Palihawadana, D. (2016). Here, There and Everywhere: A Study of Consumer Centrism. International Marketing Review, 33(5), 715-754. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-06-2014-0205.
Rettanai Kannan, D. (2020). Consumer Xenocentrism: Antecedents, Consequences (and Moderators) and Related Constructs. Doctoral Dissertation, Carleton University. https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2020-14035
Rojas-Méndez, J. I., & Chapa, S. (2020). X-Scale: A New Scale to Measure Consumer Xenocentrism. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 38(3), 354-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-01-2019-0062
Rojas-Méndez, J. I., & Kolotylo, J. (2022). Why do Russian Consumers Prefer Foreign-Made Products and Brands?. Journal of Global Marketing, 35(3), 208-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/08911762.2021.1968555
Seta, M. A. & Sutarso, Y. (2023). Xenocentric Consumer Analysis in Indonesia: A Case Study of Foreign Cultural Products from South Korea. International Journal of Economics, Business, and Management Research, 7(9), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.51505/IJEBMR.2023.7911
Shimp, T. A., & Sharma, S. (1987). Consumer Ethnocentrism: Construction and Validation of the CETSCALE. Journal of Marketing Research, 24(3), 280–289. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151638
Shankarmahesh, M. N. (2006). Consumer Ethnocentrism: An Integrative Review of Its Antecedents and Consequences. International Marketing Review, 23(2), 146-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651330610660065
Sharma, S., Shimp, T. A., & Shin, J. (1994). Consumer Ethnocentrism: A Test of Antecedents and Moderators. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23(1), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070395231004
Stier, J. (2010). The Blind Spots and Biases of Intercultural Communication Studies: A Discussion on Episteme and Doxa in a Field. Journal of Intercultural Communication. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v10i3.514
Sumner, W. G. (1906). Folkways: A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals. Ginn and Company. https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/13.1.116
Sun, G., D’Alessandro, S., & Johnson, L. (2014). Traditional Culture, Political Ideologies, Materialism, and Luxury Consumption in China. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 38(6), 578–585. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12117
Tang, H. L., Liu, X., & Fu, Q. (2022). Assessing Measurement Invariance of the CETSCALE in Guangxi, China. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 34(10), 2269-2284. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-06-2021-0430
Thoumrungroje, A., Diamantopoulos, A., & Scherer, N. C. (2024). Consumer Xenocentrism When Domestic Products are Better. International Marketing Review, 41(2), 490–513. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-01-2023-0007
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2016). Globalization and Culture. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/globalization-and-culture
Wallach, J. (2002). Exploring Class, Nation, and Xenocentrism in Indonesian Cassette Retail Outlets. Indonesia, (74), 79-102. https://doi.org/10.2307/3351527
Wang, Z., Jetten, J., & Steffens, N. K. (2020). The More You Have, The More You Want? Higher Social Class Predicts a Greater Desire for Wealth and Status. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(2), 360-375. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2620
Copyright (c) 2025 Azila Sopian, Siti Zaleha Sahak
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.
