Consumer ethnocentrism in the German market Heiner Evanschitzky University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK Florian v. Wangenheim Technical University Munich, Germany David Woisetschla ¨ger University of Dortmund, Germany, and Markus Blut Marketing Center Muenster, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany Abstract Purpose – International marketing researchers have long been concerned with determining whether consumers are predisposed towards a preference for domestic products, as opposed to foreign products. The purpose of this paper is to assess such a domestic-country bias (DCB) in the German market. Design/methodology/approach – This study empirically investigates DCB across six countries and 14 product categories in the Germany market. By so doing, it replicates an earlier study conducted in the UK. Ordered logit analysis was employed as well as multidimensional unfolding to present results. Findings – As in the study conducted in the UK, there is in general a strong DCB in the German market. However, it differs largely across the 14 product categories. Results indicate that consumer preference rankings can best be explained by a combination of demographic variables and country-of-origin effects. Practical implications – Results indicate that domestic firms in Germany can well rely on a safeguarding effect when marketing their products. At the same time, managers from foreign countries cannot rely on consumer ethnocentrism as a reliable indicator of the inclination of consumers to downgrade their products. Originality/value – This study confirms some findings from the UK. However, results from Germany indicate that at least economic competitiveness of the country-of-origin plays a role in determining respondents’ judgments. This study underlines the value of replication studies in cross-cultural settings in particular. Keywords Germany, Ethnocentrism, Country of origin, Consumer behaviour Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction International marketing researchers have long been concerned with determining whether consumers are predisposed towards a preference for domestic products, as opposed to foreign products. Empirical studies have consistently confirmed the existence of such as “domestic-country bias” (DCB), which is manifested in stronger product preferences and buying intentions for home-made products (Verlegh and Steenkamp, 1999). DCB has typically been explained by an individually varying, The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0265-1335.htm Consumer ethnocentrism 7 Received May 2005 Revised March 2007 Accepted March 2007 International Marketing Review Vol. 25 No. 1, 2008 pp. 7-32 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0265-1335 DOI 10.1108/02651330810851863