Consumer preferences for Made in Italy food products: The role of ethnocentrism and product knowledge

The present study focuses on “Made in Italy” food products and it investigates the barriers affecting the consumption of Italian products sold by speciality retailers on the German market. To reach this goal, we referred to existing literature which identifies the factors that limit the use of public quality of origin standards, related to socio-demographic factors, consumer ethnocentrism, and product knowledge. Data is collected by means of a survey questionnaire administered face-to-face to a sample of 203 consumers. Data is analysed by means of descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and regression models. Results indicate that ethnocentrism tendencies may prevent consumers to shop at speciality retailers and that building consumer knowledge about products may increase the purchase of authentic Italian food products, especially among the consumers that are less ethnocentric, helping to support the market position of “Made in Italy” products.