Turkish Consumers' Evaluation of Chinese Goods: Does the Perception Vary Across Product Categories and Product Attributes?

Abstract

Purpose - Although various research has found negative attitudes towards Chinese goods, China has continuously increased its share of the world's exported goods. Consumers internationally including Turkish consumers are skeptical about Chinese goods. Despite this fact, dominance of Chinese goods in Turkish market seems unstoppable since its share has increased up to 90% in some product categories. The purpose of this research is to explore overall perception of Chinese goods relative to other countries. Particularly, the research investigates whether the Turkish consumers' evaluation of Chinese goods varies across specific product categories and particular product attributes such as design, performance, technology, quality, price, and creativity. In addition, the study tries to find out if the evaluation of product attributes and product categories differ in accordance with consumer demographics. Design/methodology/approach - The study has followed a quantitative approach. For attaining the above aims, a field survey was conducted in Eskisehir, Turkey. The data was collected face-to-face by a structured questionnaire from a sample of 300 people. In the questionnaire, to represent categories, we have chosen nine specific products that China have relatively high share in Turkish market. Also we have identified twelve product attributes to be evaluated by the respondents in a scale. Findings - China has been ranked as the least preferred country by 35.8% of the respondents. The findings of the study revealed that Turkish consumers' perceptions of country of origin vary significantly across the product attributes. The respondents have found the price dimension as the most favorable attribute of the Chinese products followed by design, creativity and entertainment attributes. The research has also found that country of origin perceptions of China tend not to be product category-specific. Although the most favorable product category was souvenir/gifts and the least favorable was air conditioners/heaters category, the difference in the perceptions of these product categories was not significant. The study did not find significant role of the consumer demographics in the evaluation of Chinese products with respect to product categories and product attributes. Research limitations/implications - The present study has just focused on Turkish consumers' evaluation of Chinese goods. Comparative studies conducted in different countries are needed to have a better understanding of the perception of Chinese goods. Originality/value - Chinese goods in Turkey have been a controversial issue and discussed heavily in various context. Although there were findings about the opinions of entrepreneurs and executives on Chinese goods, information about the consumers' perceptions was lacking. So by exploring the consumer perspective, this study filled such a gap in the literature. The study may provide valuable insights for Chinese goods marketers in Turkey.