Key cultural values underlying consumers’ buying behaviour: a study in an Iranian context

Purpose By reviewing Iranian cultural values, this paper aims to identify Iranian cultural values that underlie consumers’ buying behaviours. Design/methodology/approach The study is an exploratory research; data are analysed through both exploratory and confirmatory factors analyses. Findings Based on research findings, 20 values can be subsumed under seven meaningful dimensions: cosmopolitanism, innovation, convenience, youthfulness, partiality, other-directedness and faithfulness. Cosmopolitanism was found to be the most influential value affecting consumer buying behaviour; faithfulness was the least important dimension. Research limitations/implications This research is based on quantitative data; using qualitative research or mixed method will enrich the findings. In addition, study findings are not generalisable to different aspects of cultural values and consumption in Iran. Therefore, future work should explore how cultural values influence their buying behaviour in Iran as one of major Islamic countries. Practical implications From a practical marketing perspective, firms interested in pursuing Iranian markets should consider modern cultural values in their product decisions and marketing communications to foster Iranian consumers’ attention and ultimately their purchase decisions. Originality/value The authors believe that this research can arouse sales and marketing managers to be alert for considering Iranian cultural values in their marketing mix decisions. This research also has managerial and research implications for designing and formulating promotion strategy in managing firms’ marketing communication.