This study employs a mixed-method approach to online purchase intent in an international setting, with a combination of focus group interviews with a structural model based on a multi-national survey, consisting of 734 online consumers from 58 countries. Geographical borders make less of a difference online and call for an investigation regarding the effect of country of origin (COO) and brand preferences on purchase intent when consumers purchase online from foreign countries. Quantitative data analysis of the data set revealed that the effect on consumers' purchase intent and their openness to foreign countries and brand preferences are conditionally intertwined. However, if little is known or top-of-mind during the purchase decision process, the brand and its image have greater weight, thus alluding to the need to assess further the fundamental judgments and decisions used in online purchase decisions.
The marketing literature has conceptualised exchange as transactional and relational. The aim of this article is to outline the differences between transactional and relational exchange in the B2B context and clarify why relational exchange theory should be adopted in the B2C context. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this paper contributes with and argues for a relational exchange view in a B2C context. However, the relational exchange view in a B2C context is different from a B2B context. The core differences are that relationships in B2C contexts are related to lower levels of adaptations, lower levels of social interactions, and high levels of switching behaviour because of lower switching costs.