Consumers purchase decision for cultural products outside their countries of origin: A craft retailing context

Abstract

This study examines how authenticity influences purchase decisions for cultural craft products resold outside their countries of origin, focusing on Mexican crafts sold in the U.S. market. We propose a model of consumer decision-making for cultural heritage crafts resold outside their countries of origin that integrates marketing models of perceived authenticity of crafts and perspectives from the tourism literature. Data collected from 166 tourists at a significant tourist site in a U.S. city that celebrates its connection with Mexican culture reveals that cultural motivation positively affects fair source authenticity (objective authenticity) and atmosphere authenticity (existential authenticity). Both dimensions of authenticity mediate the relationship between cultural motivation and purchase intentions and significantly impact consumers intentions to purchase Mexican-made cultural heritage crafts resold in the U.S. market. The study extends our knowledge of authenticity in tourism to crafts sold outside their country of origin. By incorporating and assessing fair source authenticity in our model, the study extends the tourism literature on ethics, morality, and responsible tourism decision-making, areas that remain significantly understudied in cultural heritage tourism literature.