Relationships among immigrant consumers' cultural orientation, innovativeness and opinion leadership

Abstract

PurposeThis research examines the direct and indirect effects of immigrant consumers' (heritage vs host) cultural orientation on their opinion leadership, in relation to heritage versus host culture peers. In addition to examining the potential mediation of different exhibitions of innovativeness, the research tests whether the relative size of the immigrant population in a country might affect the relationship of consumers' cultural orientation and opinion leadership.Design/methodology/approachTests of the theoretical arguments rely on data from three samples of more than 1,000 consumers collected from Russian immigrants to three countries–Israel, Germany and the United States.FindingsThis study offers broad support for the foundational theorizing, in that the findings confirm a mediating role of consumer innovativeness. Cultural orientation relates directly to opinion leadership, though only in two countries with a relatively small (Russian) immigrant population, that is, Germany and the United States. Accordingly, these findings have pertinent theoretical and practical implications.Originality/valueLittle research centers on opinion leaders among immigrant consumer segments or details the antecedents of opinion leadership relative to ethnic and immigrant consumer segments. This study contributes to marketing theory and practice by investigating immigrants from Russia who have migrated to Israel, Germany or the United States and by elucidating whether and to what extent their heritage versus host culture orientations exert indirect (via innovativeness) or direct impacts on their opinion leadership, expressed toward heritage and host culture peers.