Parallel imports and their influence on firm performance and consumer satisfaction: Evidence from Kazakhstan

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThe study examines how parallel imports affect company efficiency and consumer satisfaction in Kazakhstan amid shifting global supply chains and trade restrictions. It assesses their impact on business expectations and consumer perceptions by identifying price asymmetries, risks, and cost optimization effects linked to intermediary shipments. A quantitative survey was conducted using purposive sampling of legally registered firms involved in the sourcing and distributing branded goods (n = 50) and urban consumers who regularly purchase such products (n = 51), ensuring respondents’ direct exposure to the relevant market mechanisms. The results confirm significant price asymmetry: consumers tend to perceive domestic prices as inflated, while firms only partially realize cost optimization opportunities through alternative supply channels. Specifically, 80.4% of consumers believe branded goods are more expensive domestically than abroad, whereas 70% of firms report negative economic effects from intermediary-based sourcing. The findings also reveal a substantial risk-reality gap. While 90.2% of consumers report encountering counterfeit goods, only 25% of firms identify counterfeiting as a primary risk. At the same time, evidence of proportional convergence between firm-level cost optimization (55%) and consumer price-oriented purchasing behavior (54.9%) suggests partial cost-price transmission under the current restrictive trademark regime.This study provides recommendations for improving government policy on trademark regulation and parallel imports, as well as for refining companies’ pricing strategies. The identified price asymmetry and discrepancies in perceived counterfeit risks underscore the need to strengthen consumer protection and optimize supply chains.AcknowledgmentsThis research is funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP23489368).