Dual quality and limits to international adaptation of product quality: development of a conceptual framework and research agenda

In recent years, consumers and public authorities in Europe have shown growing attention to dual quality, a term that refers to the sale across European countries of seemingly identical products that have different compositions and levels of quality. This phenomenon has raised consumer protection concerns and requires reflection on the ethical limits of local adaptation of firms’ international marketing strategies. However, a lack of academic research on this topic remains. The present work addresses this gap and develops a conceptual framework that integrates prior research on consumer perceptions of and reactions to product quality and studies the standardisation – adaptation dilemma inherent in firms’ international marketing strategies. The arguments presented here result in the development of a framework that comprises five stages: firms’ real motivations for employing dual quality, dual- quality implementation, consumer awareness of dual quality, perceived acceptability of dual quality and consumer reactions to dual quality. Drawing on this framework, a rich research agenda is proposed to guide future studies and provide policymakers with new insights to help them evaluate whether or not to intervene to protect consumers.