The Effects of Attachment to Korean Wave Stars and Cultural Proximity on Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intention of Korean Products

Abstract

Objectives: The majority of prior studies have identified attachment to Korean Wave stars and cultural proximity as important determinants in the purchase intention of Korean products, but no comprehensive study considering these two factors at the same time has been conducted. Therefore, in order to overcome the limitations of previous studies, this study conducts a comprehensive study to investigate the effect of attachment to Korean Wave and cultural proximity (psychological and experiential proximity) on purchase intention of Korean products. Methods: To collect research data, a survey of Chinese consumers was conducted for about two months from October to December 2020. As a result of the survey, 384 questionnaires were collected, of which 240 questionnaires were finally used to perform regression analysis, excluding 144 questionnaires that were judged to be difficult to use for analysis. Results: As a result of the empirical analysis of Chinese consumers, it was found that both attachment to Korean Wave stars and cultural proximity (psychological and experiential proximity) had a significant positive effect on purchase intention of Korean products. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the attachment to Korean Wave stars and psychological and experiential cultural proximity are important antecedents of the purchase intention of Korean products. These findings will be able to provide meaningful practical implications for Korean companies that need to formulate and implement marketing strategies for Chinese consumers