Determinants of the accessibility of regional-product information

In an era being characterized by globalization, the importance of product differentiation grows. Marketing products based on the region-of-origin (within-country area) is one of the strategies applied (i.e., Washington apples). Most place-of-origin research focuses on the effect of the place-of-origin cue on product evaluation. In this study, it is shown that the region-of-origin cue also affects other stages of the purchase-decision process. More specifically, it is shown that consumers¿ sense of belonging to the region of origin influences the accessibility of regional-product information. With accessibility, the probability that the regional product is identified during the prepurchase search for information increases.