Nothing Tastes as Local: Jordanians’ Perceptions of Buying Domestic Olive Oil

Abstract

To date, little is known about how consumers perceive local and foreign olive oil. This study was conducted with the intention of exploring key trends in Jordanian consumers’ perceptions toward local olive oil and to examine whether they are ethnocentric toward purchasing their local olive oil in the era of the Arab Spring. The research design is a combination of quantitative with a qualitative technique to support and expand on the research findings. Data were collected from a total number of 196 Jordanians who live in Amman city. The results revealed that Jordanians are loyal to their country’s olive oil; they expressed strong ethnocentric tendencies toward purchasing it, and their purchasing tendencies are influenced by nationalism. Jordanians ranked their local olive oil as the best worldwide. This article provides original insights into the development and marketing strategies for local and global olive oil producers in the Jordan market and other Arab country markets.

Keywords:

• Consumer ethnocentrism
• demographics
• olive oil
• socio-psychological variables

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank Professor Patricia Huddleston, Michigan State University, for her very insightful comments on an earlier version of this research. Also, we thank anonymous referees and the editor for constructive comments and suggestions.