Values as reasons for consumer decisions – an inter-cultural comparison

Nowadays, consumers usually do not just consider the functional use of a product. At least equally important are the emotional experiences that are tied up with the product and that are sated with non-material elements of a product. Which non-material elements of a product are considered important by the consumer, depends on his or her personal values. Therefore, the identification of personal values assists in explaining the consumers’ purchasing motives. Since personal values do not just influence a consumers’ purchasing decision but vary between cultural circles, it is expected that cultural values lead to culture-specific consumption patterns. To analyse the coherences between cultural values and the consumer behaviour of a cultural circle, 40 female wine consumers, comprised of 20 German and 20 Ukrainian women, were interviewed on the basis of Means-End-Chain-Theory using laddering-interviews. The initial findings of this qualitative survey will be presented in this poster.