A family-enterprise collective certification trademark: consumer insight

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to find out how consumers respond to a proposed family-enterprise collective certification trademark and how they perceive family firms in general.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a quantitative approach. It draws on a questionnaire survey conducted among 1,091 Polish consumers in January 2018. Statistical methods, such as exploratory factor analysis, were applied.FindingsPolish consumers responded positively to the proposed trademark. It also turned out that those who pay attention to the producer or the brand owner in a given sector also pay attention to the symbols placed on products or services from these sectors. There was a strong relationship between consumers' positive perceptions of family firms and their assessments of the proposed trademark. This did not extend to negative perceptions. The findings from this study may be generalisable to other post-communist societies.Practical implicationsFamily firms should redouble their efforts to introduce a family-enterprise collective certification trademark (not only in Poland, but also in those countries where such a trademark is non-existent). This should be handled by umbrella bodies for family business.Originality/valueLittle research work, based on a large and representative sample, has so far focussed on the issue of how consumers respond to a family-enterprise identity. The value of this study lies in deepening understanding of the processes and mechanisms that underlie the organisation–consumer relationship within the context of family-enterprise operation.