The impact of socio-psychosocial and benefit factors on cross-border purchasing behavior in Vietnam: A case study of goods from the United States

The digital economy has bridged the gap between countries, making transaction activities more convenient. The trend of cross-border e-commerce has exploded in many countries, consumers can now easily access millions of products from various vendors worldwide by simply visiting e-commerce sites. This creates opportunities for Vietnamese consumers to have easier access to US goods, a country with a very high level of industry, industrialization and development. The objective of this study was to examine the determinants that influence the socio-psychological factors on cross-border purchasing behavior in Vietnam. This article is based on the realistic group conflict theory, social identity theory, and cognitive dissonance theory, and proposes a conceptual framework with 9 components and 13 research hypotheses. The analysis was conducted using a quantitative descriptive analysis, measuring variable dimensions on a questionnaire with a seven-point Likert scale, and utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses. The research results, based on a survey of 1,041 consumers in Vietnam, show that there are five key factors that significantly impact the product judgments of consumers in Vietnam. These factors include consumer affinity, consumer cosmopolitanism, consumer ethnocentrism, price competitiveness, and product uniqueness. Additionally, there are four factors that play a crucial role in determining the level of trust that Vietnamese consumers have in a product. These factors are product judgments, consumer affinity, consumer cosmopolitanism, and consumer ethnocentrism. Finally, there are two factors (consumer trust and product judgments) that greatly influence the cross-border purchasing behavior of Vietnamese consumers. This understanding can then be used to develop marketing policies that improve the competitiveness of domestic enterprises compared to imported products.