Consumer culture at individual level: Proposing a two-stepped model, comparing Iran and Germany

The importance of culture in different aspects of consumer behavior is undeniable. Studies provide solutions dealing with cultural differences in consumers' interpretations and trying to structure their mind-sets. The common weakness of most such studies is they trust old scales developed to investigate organizational behaviors as a basis for analyzing individual consumers, ignoring nonconformity in both context and level. The replication of such rankings in marketing could easily fail; new applications are needed which consider level, purpose, context, and the spirit of the time. The present study aims to validate a new scale and explain the roles that cultural values play in consumer purchase behavior by using this item battery. The developed scale originates from the core elements of Hofstede's proposed dimensions (in the latest version from 2008); a multi-dimensional instrument is suggested containing two newly introduced concepts (restraint and long-term orientation) validated by eastern and western minds. Samples with incomparable profiles and cultural backgrounds, from Germany and Iran, are selected to validate the scale. The results confirm an undeniable role of nationality, as well as of demographics, in consumer culture; the scale was a success and may be further applied.The paper begins with a focus on consumer culture, presenting a review of the individual-level approach toward culture; based on this view - following a context-specific approach - the focus changes from the individual in general to the individual as a consumer. Within the purchase context, the roles played by culture in consumer decisions and behaviors are elaborated. Further, the study provides a summary of theoretical and empirical details on the dimensions of consumer culture, including measurement methods. The scale development and research implementation are summarized and the latter parts of the paper are dedicated to the results of statistical analyses and conclusions; finally, managerial implications and future directions are discussed.