Marketing cues and perceived quality: Perceptions of Saudi consumers toward products of the U.S., Japan, Germany, Italy, U.K. and France

Abstract

This manuscript explores the relationship between marketing cues and perceived quality in Saudi Arabia, a surrogate for developing countries. Further, the study examines the influence of the country-of-origin bias on the relationship between marketing cues and perceived quality. A sample of 381 Saudi Arabian consumers evaluate various marketing cues and perceived quality associated with the products of the U.S., Japan, Germany, Italy, U.K., and France separately. The study results indicate that the influences of a number of marketing cues, namely, personal pride, workmanship, reasonable price, and warranties on perceived quality are robust across varying country-of-origin effects. On the other hand, the influences of appearance, reliability, availability and maintenance service on perceived quality are affected by the country-of-origin information.