Consumer Acculturation of Indigenous Minority Community to a Multicultural Expatriate Population: An Abstract

Abstract

The consumer acculturation literature acknowledges that acculturation is a change that occurs when individuals come into contact with individuals from other cultural backgrounds. However, studies have predominantly examined how migrants acculturate to the culture to which they are immigrating because the effect of the dominant culture on migrants tends to be larger than the opposite (Berry 1993). In this study, we propose to examine how the migrants affect the consumption practices of the local culture. We picked Qatar as a unique context in which locals relative to migrants tend to be a numerical minority. Locals are thought to experience cultural dilemmas in their consumption of products and services from different cultures as well as the tensions that may result from the day-to-day cultural encounters. Because of the effect of the context and the lack of reported findings on the influence of acculturation on Qataris' consumer behavior, a thorough qualitative phase is deemed necessary. We conducted two focus groups with 12 university students. Two overriding themes emerged from the focus groups explaining how Qataris deal with the influx of foreigners to the country. The first theme, "selective adoption," expressed the participants' desire to distance themselves from the foreign residents in Qatar. They also expressed that this stemmed from the discomfort and anxiety that they experience from the proximity of foreigners, who were perceived to not appreciate the Qatari culture. This was also coupled with a desire to go to places that are patronized by Qataris because of the increased sense of belonging. The second theme, "containment," indicated the participants' desire to engage in consumption practices from other cultures, as long as such practices do not conflict with the local culture. Participants here consider interactions with different foreign residents' cultures positively and recount the consumption-related benefits of having a large population of foreign residents in Qatar. Those benefits included the availability of a wide range of shops, outlets, and restaurants from different cultures. A third theme that cuts across these strategies is the feeling of being neglected by marketers' endeavors. Some informants expressed frustration with the existing consumption environment in the local market due to a feeling that local consumers' needs are marginalized. There is a perception that most available brands reflect Western cultural configurations and, thus, do not necessarily fit the local culture. Although locals have high purchasing power, more often than not, it is difficult to find the top brands in some consumption fields (e.g., clothes) which fit the local culture. References Available Upon Request 2017, Academy of Marketing Science.