Purchase intention of ethnic textiles: The mediating role of the attitude of Mexican middle-class consumers

Abstract This research analyzes how behavioral attitude mediated the relationship between ethnical identity and intention to purchase ethnic textiles. We selected a sample of 405 postgraduate students from five different universities who fulfilled the following criteria: (1) they belong to the Mexican middle-class with an income ranging from 479 to 638 dollars a month; (2) they are part of the potential consumer market because they are under 30 years-old on average; and (3) they are familiar with the dynamic of handmade ethnic textiles because they live in a State that has native handicraft communities. Using the mediation model from Baron and Kenny (1986), the results showed that purchase attitude mediated the relationship between ethnical identity and intention to purchase ethnic textiles. Moreover, we found that ethnic identi-ty influenced the intention to purchase ethnic textiles. This article provides information on the purchasing behavior of ethnic textiles by middle-class consumers in Mexico to allow artisans develop marketing strategies for this market segment and increase their sales.