"Quality is always a concern" Icelandic consumers' experiences towards China as country of origin and China as culture of brand origin

The role of China on the world stage has become increasingly important and has grown dramatically in recent years. China has a long history but there are signs that the country’s cultural legacy is coming to an end with the faster pace of modern society. It is valuable for every nation to maintain its cultural heritage and for the world to understand its importance. The aim of this study was to investigate how Icelandic consumers experience Chinese culture and heritage in relation to brands and products made in China. To understand this, 10 Icelandic students between the age of 24 and 51 were interviewed. They were chosen because of their consumption of Chinese products. The interviews were analysed and interpreted according to phenomenological methodology. Five themes emerged in the respondents’ perception: “Can’t put a single label on Chinese culture,” “It’s not that I look down on Chinese brands,” “Quality is always a concern,” “There is a trust issue,” “My perception has changed big time.” The main findings indicate that Icelandic participants only had surface knowledge of Chinese culture and heritage and felt, due to the diversity and being an outsider, difficult to understands its depth. Chinese brands awareness was limited. Most participants knew the Chinese companies Huawei and AliExpress. The participants did not associate Chinese brands with being innovative, rather they are perceived to be followers. Chinese products quality weighs heavily, and participants are experiencing increased quality. This was particularly true of electronics. The final, and perhaps most interesting finding was that the participants’ opinions about China as a country of origin seemed to be becoming more positive and they are optimistic about Chinese future