A CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FEMALE CONSUMER

BEHAVIOUR WITH REGARDS TO THE PURCHASE OF COSMETICS BY FEMALES

IN THE UK AND BANGLADESH

Shahina Pervin, Southampton Business School, Southampton Solent Univ., UK

Abstract
Understanding consumer behaviour in a cross-cultural environment is an essential part of
marketing activities in a world that is becoming more consumer-centric. This paper attempts to
explain how consumer behaviour is influenced by cultural factors in Bangladesh. It is conceptual
in nature and attempts to uncover the key facets of culture involved in shaping decisions on
cosmetics purchase by female consumers in the Bangladeshi cross-cultural environment.

Introduction
The body of work considers the role of culture and its impact on consumer behaviour. As
markets are becoming increasingly globalised, the need for understanding consumers in different
cultures is a priority in marketing activities. This study attempts to provide an in-depth analysis
into the way cultural factors influence consumers’ decision-making processes. The basic premise
of the study of cross-cultural marketing is to understand consumers’ behaviour in their own
cultural environments and to tailor a favourable marketing culture.

The study intends to explore the understanding of consumer behaviour and how it is influenced
by cultural factors in Bangladesh. To the best of my knowledge no research has to date been
undertaken on the influence of cultural norms on purchasing behaviour in the cosmetics industry
in Bangladesh. Currently both locally produced toiletries and cosmetics and international brands
play a significant role in the Bangladesh cosmetics market. Many international companies are
attracted to Bangladesh because of the potentially huge consumer market.

The research focuses on the Bangladeshi cosmetics market and the buying behaviour of the
Bengali women. Traditional values are dominant in Bengali culture; however modernisation
touches its cities and suburbs. During the 1990s significant steps were taken to liberalise
Bangladesh’s trade policy. The adoption of an open market policy has created a considerable
sized middle class group, which has substantial purchasing power. The purpose here is to
identify Bengalis’ attitudes to spending on cosmetics. To understand the present trend of
consumers with relation to the purchase of cosmetics products a number of hypotheses will be
formulated to test the cultural influence on making purchase decisions. As this is a comparative
study between the United Kingdom and Bangladesh, the western/international manufacturers
who are interested in the Bangladeshi market may well obtain results that will be useful to them.
It is anticipated that this study will certainly contribute towards a better understanding of the
perception and the behaviour of not just the Bengali consumers, but also the consumers in other
South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) countries. More importantly there
is an ambition to reveal whether and to what extent the concept of ‘face’ (this concept is
described in the main body of the literature review) identifies Bengalis’ social standing. Analysis
of fashion-consciousness, colour perceptions, shopping attitudes, and the social recognition of
gift-giving and its importance on social prestige will provide a benchmark against which to
interpret the Bengalis’ buying attitudes.

Bangladesh has been predicted by the economists to become one of the ‘Next Eleven’ fast
growth nations following the ‘BRIC’ (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations as mentioned in
the Goldman Sachs Report (2006). An understanding of the essence and significance of Bengali
culture is necessary for those international investors who have little or no idea about Bangladesh,
its people and culture. A comparative study will be undertaken between Bangladesh and the
United Kingdom, which will provide a cross-cultural comparison within the context of cosmetics
purchase.

Key research issue

The body of work on this area attempts to understand how consumer perceptions and behaviour
are being influenced by the culture within which they exist. The fundamental research question
on this issue is:

What are the key facets of culture involved in shaping consumers’ decisions in the
purchase of cosmetics?

In order to understand how consumer perceptions vary in different cultural environments in

terms of cosmetics purchase, the main body of the work is divided into the following groups:
a. The preliminary research undertaken will be to develop a conceptual framework mapping
out a model for consumer behaviour within a cross-cultural environment.
b. Methodologies:
• Questionnaire survey: Primary data will be collected from300 Bangladeshi
females between the ages of 18-30 and 30-45.
• Interviews: Interviews will be conducted with experts, beauticians, professors,
and brand managers during the pilot stage. From the initial survey focus groups
will also be selected for undertaking a detailed analysis.
• Case study: Clusters which will be selected from the analysis of the data and
questionnaires; five to ten case studies will be selected for in-depth investigation
during the PhD stage.
c. The next stage of the research is empirical where propositions from preliminary stages
are tested and the range of methodologies is utilised.
d. The final stage of the research explores a suitable communication model as a platform for
developing innovative strategies in Bangladesh and for third world countries.
 Development of key concepts (literature review)
An understating of Bengalis’ attitudes to cosmetics products allows a better understanding of
motivating factors, leading to a better positioning of products and more effective marketing
communication. Consumers form an ‘attitude’ towards the advertising of a product as well as in
the act of buying the product (Schutte and Ciarlante 1998). This attitude leads to the intention of
whether to purchase the product or not. According to the ABC model (Solomon, 1996), attitude
is divided into three components: affect, behaviour and cognition (see Figure 1).

Affect Feeling

Attitudes
Behaviour Intention

Cognition Beliefs

Figure-1 ABC model of attitudes (Solomon, 1996)

Each component has relative importance depending on the level of involvement of consumers in
the purchase decision. There are different hierarchies of effects in attitude which will reflect
thinking and emotion on the part of the consumer in terms of what is less common among Asian
than among western consumers and visa versa.

In Hofstede’s collectivistic cultures Maslow’s social needs of belonging and prestige can be seen
as affiliation, admiration and status which tend to be the main driving forces of consumer
behaviour. As a collectivistic culture the high level of interdependence among Bengali
individuals corresponds with lesser personal attachment to material objects and a greater
attachment to human beings. Schiffman and Kanuk’s (1994) trio needs- achievement, affiliation
and power which are related to Maslow’s hierarchy needs have been considered that these needs
can often be personally directed in the case of the westerner and socially directed among Asian.

In Asia the purchase decision is typically based on the utilitarian feature of the product such as
its physical characteristics and price to quality ratio (Schutte and Ciarlante, 1998). Bengalis are
price conscious in terms of purchasing items for personal use. As Bengalis regard their own
identity in the context of their society, they do not want to stray from socially acceptable norms,
even in private, which thus encourages conformist consumption. For example Bengali people
living in the same area tend to use the same brand of detergent, beauty soap, and hair oil because
of a strong group-oriented conformist consumption pattern, which is influenced by the
interdependent self.
Asia is regarded as an area of importance for luxury goods companies. As the conspicuous
consumption may seem to clash with such traditional characteristics of Asian culture as
pragmatism, collectivism and modesty in self-presentation, the explanation lies in the fact that
the luxury products symbolise status and face-giving in the Asian culture (Schutte and Ciarlante,
1998). Face-giving in Bengali society secures social recognition and conforms to the social
norms of reciprocity where gift-giving is important.

As a collectivistic society, it is imperative for Bengalis to project the right image as being classy,
up-market and prestigious by securing the term ‘face-saving’ where Bengalis rank high in power
distance society. According to Hofstede (1984), in high power distance societies, differences in
power are expected to translate into visible differences in status.

Price sensitivity and the importance of the status of buyers differ significantly between Asian and
Western cultures (Ackerman and Tellis, 2001). This study examines whether there are
differences in Bengali’s shopping behaviour and product prices in purchasing cosmetics brands
due to cultural orientation.

The concept of ‘self’ is important in forming an understanding of consumer behaviour (Schutte

and Ciarlante, 1998). Self-concept in consumer behaviour is a psychological process. Self-
concept consists of whatever individuals consider to be theirs, including their body, family,
possessions, moods, emotions, conscience, attitudes, values, traits and social positioning
(Rolando, 1998). Both Eastern and Western cultures perceive the ‘self’ concept from the point
of inner private self and outer public self. According to Mooij (2004), the concept of self is
‘independent’ in individualistic cultures whereas in collectivistic cultures self is regarded as
interdependence. The ‘self’ concept in Bengali culture is interdependent in nature and focuses
more on the public, which is the ‘outer’ self than the Western ‘independent’ self. Bengali groups’
norms and goals frequently place emphasis on public and visible possessions.

A ‘brand’ has been described in many ways by different authors. According to Palmer (2000), a
brand is a means of imparting to a product a unique identity that differentiates it from its near
competitors. In the context of globalisation, it is imperative for international companies to
practise their brand strategies in different countries and culture. Kotler (1997) points out that a
brand is able to convey up to six levels of meanings: it can attribute benefits, value, culture,
personality and user. According to Kotler, (1997) and Usunier, (2000), brand names must be
meaningful and pronounceable in all relevant languages; otherwise firms will find that they are
unable to use well-known local names as they expand abroad. Branding is therefore of prime
importance to the marketers and represents more than simply giving a product a name (Schutte
and Ciarlante 1998). Western companies have become successful in Asia by building and
exploiting brands as the consumers in Asia are encouraged by power to achieve social
recognition by owning prestige brands. The country of origin of a brand is also an influential
factor for consumers choosing a product in both Asia and in Western countries.

‘Colour’ is one of the important attributes which acts as a driving force in cosmetics use from a
cross-cultural perspective. Use of colour cosmetics (right colour) satisfies the need to look young
which leads to confidence for the consumer in an individualistic society. Use of colour cosmetics
involves PDI (power distance), UAI (uncertainty avoidance) and IDV
(individualism/collectivism) where the approach to scientific brands is variable. In terms of using
cosmetics ‘social acceptance’ and ‘social recognition’ can create a ‘sense of security’. The sense
of security generates in terms of the attributes of a particular product is high in high uncertainty
avoidance culture and low in low uncertainty avoidance cultures.
 National cultural dimensions
The model of national culture developed by Hofstede (1980) is reviewed in this paper. Although
Hofstede’s five dimensions have been criticised on methodological issues and conceptual
matters, his work has been conducted extensively in the field of business culture. According to
Mooij (2004), dimensions of national culture provide excellent variables that can be employed to
analyse cross-cultural consumer behaviour. Mooij further suggested that together with national
wealth Hofstede’s cultural dimensions can explain more than half of the differences in
consumption and consumer behaviour.

There are many definitions that have been formulated for culture by a number of anthropologists.
Hofsteede (1980) defines culture as the “interactive aggregate of common characteristics that
influence a group’s response to its environment.” Hofestede empirically identified five key
criteria by which national culture differed, which are power distance, individualism versus
collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and long-term orientation.
Although Hofstede (1980, 1984) proposes five cultural dimensions, this paper focuses on three
dimensions: individualism versus collectivism, power distance and uncertainty avoidance in
order to identify the relevance of cultural dimensions to consumer purchase behaviour in a cross-
national environment.

1. Power distance (PDI) - which is related to the different solutions to the basic problem of
human inequality.

2. Individualism versus collectivism- which is related to the integration of individuals into the
primary group.

3. Uncertainty avoidance- which is related to the level of stress in a society in the face of an
unknown future.

Williams et al (1998) state that of the five criteria, individualism versus collectivism seems to be
the most pervasive difference associated with the cultures of various countries. Kale and Barnes
(1992) explain how each of Hofstede’s five dimensions could shape aspects of the content and
style of participants from different countries in a buying and selling situation. Laura et al (2000)
argue that Hofstede’s dimensions have become key variables or explanatory features in a wide
variety of research. As most of the dimensions are independent, these have been used widely in
cross-cultural studies which have led to useful explanations of cross-cultural differences in
consumer behaviour (Mooij, 2004).

Conceptual model and hypotheses

In this model cross-cultural dimensions are proposed to capture the variation in attitudes to
achievement, power and affiliation in terms of buying cosmetics. This cross-cultural model tends
to explain how self-concept, product attributes and group conformity are measured in two
different cultural environments (Bangladesh and the United Kingdom) in terms of purchasing
 cosmetics. The conceptual model in Figure 2 depicts two culture clusters such as Bangladesh and
the UK for cosmetics involving power distance, uncertainty avoidance and
individualism/collectivism.

Power Distance Uncertainty

(PDI) Avoidance (UAI)

Achievement

Attitud Group
Power Brand/ Product
e Self
Branding attribute
conformit
y

Affiliation

Individualism/Coll Face
ectivism (IDV)

Figure 2. A cross-cultural model of attitudes towards purchase

Initially three general hypotheses are formulated to be tested. These are:

H1. Bengali consumers are more influenced in their purchase of cosmetics by an authority
figure compared to British consumers.

In a collectivistic society ‘self’ seems to interdependent whereas self is independent in an

individualistic society. Achievement and power are assumed to be strong driving forces in
purchase behaviour as prestige matters in a collectivistic society with a high power distance
culture. The influence of achievement and power on purchase behaviour in terms of prestige and
social matter is expected to be negative in an individualistic society as this society generally
exists within a low power distance culture.

H2. The greater the PDI (Power Distance) the more brand orientated is the buying
behaviour.

The ultimate need for recognition and conspicuous consumption to project the right image to
save face in Asia may be highly important in most Asian cultures on the power distance
dimension where brands could play an important role. In a Western context in a low power
distance culture the desire to assert the independent self may serve as the stimulus for
conspicuous consumption.

H3. The degree of brand loyalty is higher among Bengali consumers than British
consumers in terms of buying colour cosmetics.

Brand loyalty in terms of using colour cosmetics may be weak in an individualistic society with
low uncertainty avoidance culture as the variety-seeking motive is strong. The need to conform
and strong negative attitudes to losing face make consumers brand-loyal in a collectivistic
society with a high power distance culture.

These are the key hypotheses that will be tested in addition to a number of sub hypotheses.

Conclusion
The proposed model in this paper has been developed to capture the issues related to the attitudes
of Bengalis and British consumers to cosmetics within different cultural perspectives. It is a
challenge for marketers to gain deep insights into the complexity of cultural norms in a new
cultural environment. The body of the literature explains the areas of dimensions in consumer
behaviour within the context of different cultural settings. The proposed model portrays the
cultural variables in terms of purchasing cosmetics which could assist marketers operating within
a global consumer market.
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