The role of knowledge and importance of country-of-origin information in female consumers’ purchase intent of exotic crocodile leather accessories

Abstract

The study investigated the role of knowledge (objective knowledge and subjective knowledge) and the importance of country-of-origin in female consumers’ purchasing intent of exotic crocodile leather accessories. The study was conducted across South Africa and specifically concentrated on exotic crocodile leather accessories, which is a subset category in the luxury apparel industry. Consulta Research is a professional research company and was consulted to assist with the data collection. A quantitative descriptive approach was followed by developing an electronic survey design. Data was collected by using a selfadministrated online questionnaire, which was distributed by a research company. A crosssectional study was used to conduct the research. The data was collected by means of nonprobability convenient sampling. A total of 337 questionnaires were completed. Scales from previous research studies were adapted for the purpose of this study. The questionnaire was part of a bigger study and only five sections of the questionnaire were relevant to this specific study. Descriptive and association methods were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlation and Spearman correlation were used to analyse the data by means of relationships between variables. This study attempts to differentiate between consumers’ objective and subjective knowledge of luxury leather accessories. The construct objective knowledge was theoretically divided into intrinsic-related attributes and extrinsic-related attributes of the products of investigation. The relationship between objective knowledge and purchasing intent as well as the relationship between the importance of country-of-origin information and purchasing intent of exotic crocodile leather accessories was investigated. The findings regarding exotic crocodile leather accessories showed that females’ objective and subjective knowledge is limited, did not seem to find country-of-origin information important, had a weak purchase intent, and indicated that there was statistical significance only between the female consumers’ purchasing intent and their objective knowledge regarding the intrinsicrelated attributes of exotic crocodile leather accessories. The limitations of the study are that the results are based on non-probability convenience sampling, therefore the findings cannot be generalized to the whole South Africa, or to all the exotic leather industry markets for affluent consumers. One would have liked to have approached a population group that consisted of affluent respondents with an annual household income of more than R100 000. The study’s findings can contribute to the South African exotic crocodile leather industry and specifically to retailers, manufacturers, tanneries, and marketers. The findings and conclusions drawn in this study contribute to existing theory and could serve as the basis for future research in consumer behaviour, consumer science and the luxury exotic leather industry in South Africa.Die studie het die rol van produk-kennis (objektiewe kennis en subjektiewe kennis) en die belangrikheid van inligting aangaande land-van-oorsprong in vroulike verbruikers se koopintensie met betrekking tot eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede ondersoek. Die studie is regoor Suid-Afrika uitgevoer, en daar is spesifiek gekonsentreer op eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede, wat ʼn sub-kategorie in die luukse klerebedryf uitmaak. Consulta Research is ʼn professionele navorsingsmaatskappy en is geraadpleeg om te help met die data-insameling. ʼn Kwantitatiewe deskriptiewe benadering is gevolg deur ʼn elektroniese opname-ontwerp te ontwikkel. Die data is ingesamel deur die gebruik van ʼn selftoegepaste aanlyn-vraelys, wat deur ʼn navorsingsmaatskappy versprei is. ʼn Dwarssneestudie is gebruik om die navorsing te doen. Die data is ingesamel deur middel van niewaarskynlikheids- gerieflikheid-steekproefneming. ʼn Totaal van 337 vraelyste is voltooi. Skale uit vorige navorsingstudies is aangepas vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie. Die vraelys het deel gevorm van ʼn groter studie en slegs vyf afdelings van die vraelys het betrekking op hierdie spesifieke studie. Pearson-korrelasie en Spearman-korrelasie is gebruik om die data deur middel van die verhoudings tussen veranderlikes te analiseer. Hierdie studie poog om te onderskei tussen die verbruikers se objektiewe en subjektiewe produk-kennis van luukse leer-produkte. Die produk wat genavors word se objektiewe kennis is teoreties onderverdeel in intrinsiek-verwante kenmerke en ekstrinsiek-verwante eienskappe. Die verhouding tussen objektiewe kennis en koopintensie, asook die verhouding tussen die belangrikheid van inligting aangaande die land-van-oorsprong en die koopintensie met betrekking tot eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede is ondersoek. Die bevindinge met betrekking tot eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede het getoon dat vroulike verbruikers beperkte objektiewe kennis en subjektiewe kennis beskik, blykbaar nie inligting aangaande land-van-oorsprong as belangrik beskou nie, ʼn swak koopintensie het, en het aangedui dat daar statistiese beduidendheid was slegs tussen die vroulike verbruikers se koopintensie en hul objektiewe kennis aangaande die intrinsiek-verwante eienskappe van eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede. Die beperkinge van die studie is dat die resultate gebaseer was op nie-waarskynlikheidsgerieflikheidsteekproefneming, wat beteken dat die bevindings nie veralgemeen kan word na die hele Suid-Afrika nie, of na al die eksotieseleer-bedryfsmarkte vir welgestelde verbruikers nie. ʼn Mens sou graag ʼn populasiegroep wou kon bestudeer wat bestaan uit welgestelde respondente met ʼn jaarlikse huishoudelike inkomste van meer as R100 000. Die studie se bevindinge kan bydra tot die Suid-Afrikaanse eksotiese krokodilleerbedryf en spesifiek vir kleinhandelaars, vervaardigers, leerlooierye, en bemarkers. Die bevindinge en gevolgtrekkings in hierdie studie dra by tot bestaande teorie en kan dien as die basis vir toekomstige navorsing in verbruikersgedrag, verbruikerswetenskappe en die luukse, eksotiese leerbedryf in Suid-Afrika.