Consumer acculturation: Scale development and validation with a mixed-method approach

Acculturation is a multidimensional concept and often means paying attention to different cultures. Since in acculturation, one seeks alternative attributes and values, this can affect the consumption of goods by the consumer. Considering the role of consumption of domestic goods on the economic growth and development of the country, it is important to identify the dimensions and components of consumer acculturation and research in this field. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the dimensions and components of consumer acculturation in the consumption of domestic goods and to develop a scale in this regard. The present study has been done by the mixed method. The statistical population of the research in the qualitative stage included experts in the Iranian clothing industry, which due to theoretical saturation, a sample of 20 people was selected by judgment. In the quantitative stage, the statistical population consisted of clothing consumers in Iran, of which 310 were selected by cluster sampling. After interviewing the experts, the thematic analysis method was used to identify the main components. Then, using quantitative methods such as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the identified components were classified in the form of dimensions and were verified. In the end, the scale of consumer acculturation in the consumption of domestic goods, including the main dimensions and components was proposed. The main contribution of this paper is developing and validating a multidimensional scale for consumer acculturation in the clothing sector, which has been overlooked in previous research.