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Journal of International Marketing 

Consumer World-Mindedness, Social-Mindedness, and Store Image 

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Published 9/1/2008 

Author: Edwin J. Nijssen and Susan P. Douglas 

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Executive Summary
Nijssen and Douglas examine the impact of increased international exposure through international social networks and travel on consumers’ awareness of and interest in other cultures and their products as well as their level of concern with global social problems, such as human rights, fair trade, and the global environment. The authors assess the extent to which these two orientations, termed here “consumer world-mindedness” and “consumer social-mindedness,” are associated with favorable images toward different types of stores—specifically, the Body Shop, fair-trade stores, and a grocery store with a special section for authentic foreign products.

The findings confirm that increased international exposure generates a propensity toward consumer world-mindedness and social-mindedness and that world-mindedness has a positive impact on social-mindedness. In addition, consumers with a strong world-minded orientation are more likely to have favorable images of fair-trade stores and, particularly, of grocery stores with a special section for foreign products. Moreover, consumers with a social-minded orientation have favorable attitudes toward all three types of stores, but particularly fair-trade stores.

Nijssen and Douglas conclude that these results have important implications for retailers in that they suggest that positioning a store and adapting product assortment to appeal to social-minded and/or world-minded consumers can be an effective strategy. Although social-minded consumers may be a relatively specific target segment, stores that target a broader market base can benefit from adding or grouping foreign products in a special section to enhance their visibility and encourage trial. This can enhance the store’s image and, in particular, attract the increasing number of consumers exposed to and interested in trying products from other countries.

Biography
Susan P. Douglas is Paganelli-Bull Professor of Marketing and International Business at New York University’s Stern School of Business. She received her Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining New York University, Prof. Douglas taught at Centre-HEC, Jouy-en-Josas, France. She has coauthored (with C. Samuel Craig) two books, Global Marketing Strategy and International Marketing Research. Her research interests focus on global marketing strategy, cross-cultural consumer research, and methodological issues in international marketing research. Her work appears in the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of International Marketing, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, and other publications. She is past president of the European Marketing Academy and former vice president of the Academy of International Business Studies. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of International Business in 1991 and a Fellow of the European Marketing Academy in 2002.

Edwin J. Nijssen holds a PhD from Tilburg University and is Professor of Marketing at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Prior to his current position, he worked at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Raboud University Nijmegen and had visiting posts at Michigan State University and New York University. His research interest focuses on relationship marketing, strategic and international marketing issues, and new product development. He has published many articles in journals such as the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Product Innovation Management. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Marketing Academy.

Journal of International Marketing, Volume 16, Number 3, September 2008
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