The country of origin as a factor in product quality perception

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of the country of origin (COO) on the product quality perception, depending on the product’s COO development level and the COO of the consumer. 222 respondents from Germany and Croatia (consumers’ COO - developed and developing country) participated in the survey on the quality of products originating from Belgium and Romania (products’ COO - developed and developing country) for 3 different product categories (high, medium, and low level of purchasing risk). The results show that the product’s COO is an important factor in the product quality perception and that there are differences in the perception of product quality depending on the product’s COO development level in cases of all levels of purchasing risk. However, product quality is a subjective category that depends on consumer’s perceptions and changes depending on the momentum at the market, so it is important to keep exploring this area for a better understanding of consumers’ attitudes and perceptions