Cultural identity and its role in marketing of Cultural Goods

Consumer expectations is a very widely researched topic in the service quality literature. Recent trends in examining consumer expectations towards products have focused on the influence of online marketplaces and social media WOM among others. In this paper Indian consumer expectations of Handloom based fashion apparel with respect to four primary constructs, viz. cultural identity, price sensitivity and past purchase experience has been studied. Survey was conducted in the Northern and North Western India among handloom consumers. Data from 295 respondents has been collected using online survey form. Findings suggest that even as cultural identity has been identified as one of the most significant factors affecting consumer decisions in literature for purchase of handloom products, its significance may have weakened against other factors. None the less cultural identity remains a factor that affects consumer expectations from these products. Brands dealing in Handloom products need to revisit their engagement with certain groups of population, for e.g. Gen Z, who may have a more liberalized and globalized understanding of cultural identity.