Country of origin effects on consumer cognitive processing

While country of origin (COO) effects has been studied diversely, little research exists within the Australian field. This research attempted to extend on the COO phenomena to acknowledge the importance of COO from an Australian perspective. With new government laws and regulations concerning country-of-origin-labelling (CoOL) enforced, affects concerning COO information on consumer cognitive processing has become vital for companies to understand, aiding in effectively marketing their products. Furthermore, the use of single cues within previous research has compromised validity of results, generalizing that COO has a large affect of consumer evaluations. While previous literature has focused predominantly on high valued products, this research project offers a unique perspective of COO affects through the use of low valued items. The use of multiple cues within this project identifies that COO still remains prominent in a purchase evaluation, contrary to recent findings. Results from the focus groups indicate that COO cues do indeed impact on the cognitive processing of consumers. Furthermore, COO cues were utilised by participants as a brand recognition tool, substantiating the affect in which COO cues have on a purchase evaluation.