Country-of-origin and sustainability: An analysis of purchase intention and willingness to pay for sustainable Made in Italy furniture

This study explores how the country of origin (COO) effect interacts with sustainability cues in shaping consumer responses to sustainable Made in Italy furniture. While previous research has treated sustainability and COO as separate factors influencing consumer behavior, we integrate these constructs to understand their influence on consumer behavior. COO research has established positive associations between Italian origin and quality perceptions in the furniture sector, but the integration of sustainability dimensions creates new theoretical questions about how consumers process these cues. Drawing from sustainable consumption and COO effect literatures, we develop and preliminarily test three hypotheses concerning ethnocentrism, familiarity with sustainability and knowledge of Made in Italy, and ethical concerns, through a pilot study based on the analysis of 126 responses. Preliminary findings suggest that (i) ethnocentrism influences purchase intentions, but additional factors such as price sensitivity, product-specific attributes, and individual trade-offs between sustainability and affordability are at stake; (ii) higher levels of familiarity with sustainability concepts and knowledge of Made in Italy products positively influence consumer responses to sustainable Made in Italy offerings; and (iii) ethical beliefs emerge as moderators of the relationship between sustainability cues and intention towards sustainable Made in Italy products. Consumers with stronger ethical beliefs demonstrate high responsiveness to sustainability cues to form their perceptions and show greater willingness to pay premiums for sustainable attributes. Following the pilot study, we recently administered the full-scale questionnaire to consumers in key markets for Made in Italy furniture (Italy, France, Germany, and the United States). The analysis of these data will be presented in subsequent research.