Purchasing patterns of migrant groups: the impact of acculturation on ethnocentric behaviours

Consumer ethnocentrism is widely studied, however, little is known about migrants who are for the first time defined as consumers with a uniquely differing set of consumption behaviors. At a theoretical level, this study fills a major gap in the literature by combining two main theories: ethnocentrism and acculturation. A survey, applied at three different stages of the research, gathered data from 958 consumers in Malaysia and Malaysian migrants in the UK. The analysis shows significant differences in consumer ethnocentrism between the home country sample and the acculturating sample. Length of residence in the UK was inversely correlated to levels of consumer ethnocentrism, so that respondents who resided longer in the UK tended to be less ethnocentric than those who stayed for shorter periods. Contrary to expectations, respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics failed to correlate highly with levels of consumer ethnocentrism. The results confirm that the length of time spent in foreign societies erodes ethnocentric tendencies. By better understanding the varying nature of migrants’ consumption patterns over time, MNC management can more effectively refine their product offerings and communication strategies aimed at consumers in a global marketplace.