Drivers of Bicultural Customers' Decision-Making: The Case of Purchasing Coffee in Denmark

Abstract

In this thesis, the aim is to develop a stronger understanding of customer experience and the customer decision journey in an era of increasingly complex cultural identities, resulting in the emergence of biculturalism. This refers to individuals who have internalised two distinct cultures and possess the cognitive flexibility to switch between their cultural frames. Yet, biculturalism remains untapped in consumer research, offering huge potential for companies wanting to move towards a more customer-centric approach. To examine how biculturalism drives decision-making across the customer decision journey framework, a deductive survey-method was employed. This thesis provides actionable insights in the case of buying coffee in Denmark, revealing that cultural identity-related touchpoints drive the decision-making across all stages, while bicultural customers who self-reported engaging in frame switching are more likely to perceive their cultural background as an important driver in the purchase stage. In the pre-purchase stage, market segmentation reveals that advertisements have an importance to certain bicultural groups, uncovering greater complexity to biculturalism. The thesis concludes by discussing theoretical and managerial implications for future directions in international marketing and sales management, dealing with biculturalism within the FMCG industry.