Consumer ethnocentrism and preference for domestic wine in times of COVID-19

Based on the theory of planned behaviour, this study examines the mediation effect of attitudes on the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and intention to buy domestic wine in transition countries. The survey was conducted on a heterogeneous sample of 372 wine buyers from Albania and Kosovo during 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural Equation Modelling by Partial Least Squares was used to analyse the collected data. The main results of this study show that the theoretical model from the theory of planned behaviour is valid in the case of buying behaviour of domestic wine in Kosovo, while in Albania, the subjective norm has no significant influence on the intention to buy domestic wine and perceived behavioural control has no significant influence on consumer behaviour. Consumer ethnocentrism has a positive influence on attitudes towards buying domestic wine and there is a partial mediating effect of attitudes on the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and the intention to buy domestic wine. Intention to buy domestic wine shows a very strong and positive correlation with behaviour in both countries. The results of the study provide valuable information for food marketers who should develop an appropriate marketing strategy if they wish to increase the purchase of domestic food, especially wine.