Strangers in strange lands: hypermarkets and Chinese consumer culture misalignment

Western retailers find alignment with consumers in Greater China challenging. Managers struggle to understand local retail values, especially where quantitative marketing research obfuscates meanings behind overly simplified constructs – lacking richness that is key to alignment.
Warden et al.

Strangers in strange lands: hypermarkets and Chinese consumer culture misalignment

Clyde A. Warden

National Chung Hsing University

James Stanworth

National Changhua University of Education

Judy F. Chen

Overseas Chinese University

Stephen Chi-Tsun Huang

National Khaosiung First University of Science and Technology

So much to grok, so little to grok from.

(Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein, 1961)

Introduction

Few western retailers, attempting to enter East Asian markets, are unaware of the need for localised approaches (Evans et al.2000; Chen 2004). Despite this, many firms find success in the East Asian region elusive:...

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