Perceptions of Consumers in Myanmar towards Purchasing Products Made In China: An Empirical Study of Students in a National Educational Institution in Yangon

The globalization of Chinese products has been accompanied by questions as to their receptivity in different markets around the world. The body of academic literature on the issue of receptivity of Chinese products has grown with a focus on the consumer perception factors of country-of-origin, consumer nationalism, price sensitivity and quality of product. Prior research findings regarding receptivity, as per these perception factors, has been quite diverse but with studies about Western nations providing the most negative responses. The originality and value of this study is that this is the first academic work performed to assess receptivity of Chinese products by consumers in Myanmar. Applying convenience sampling, students at a national educational institution in Myanmar’s principal city, Yangon, were examined by conducting a self-administered questionnaire containing both close-ended and open-ended questions. Null hypotheses were tested for consistency in the presentation of the findings due to the variability of statistical significance discovered in the literature review. The findings indicated that frequent purchasers of Chinese products were more likely to regard the factors of country-of-origin and consumer nationalism over non-frequent purchases and that no statistically significant differences occurred regarding the perception factors of price sensitivity and product quality. The study also found mixed differentials when assessing by ethnic origins, with Myanmar consumers of Chinese ancestry indicating higher mean differences regarding the perception factors of country-of-origin and product quality over non-Chinese Myanmar. Suggestions for future research were made to provide utilitarian data that will assist practitioners along the supply chain, from manufacturers to retailers.