한국 소비자의 중국 전기차 브랜드(BYD) 구매 결정요인에 관한 연구: 가격공정성, 브랜드 신뢰, 자민족중심주의의 조절된 매개모형

This study elucidates the psychological mechanism underlying Korean consumers’ purchase intention toward BYD, a new Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand, following its 2025 market entry. We propose and empirically test a moderated mediation model wherein price fairness, as an antecedent, influences purchase intention through the mediating role of brand trust. Crucially, this study investigates the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism in this mediation path. Employing survey data from 214 Korean adult consumers, the model was analyzed using Hayes’s PROCESS macro. The results revealed two primary findings. First, the effect of price fairness on purchase intention was not direct; rather, it was fully mediated by brand trust. This suggests that perceptions of fair pricing serve as a foundational element for building consumer trust, which is the more proximate driver of purchase intention. Second, consumer ethnocentrism demonstrated a selective role: it did not significantly moderate the initial path from price fairness to brand trust, but it did significantly weaken the subsequent positive relationship between brand trust and purchase intention. These findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating that ethnocentrism acts as a selective filter, applying its significant psychological barrier not during the initial trust-building phase but rather at the final stage of purchase conversion. From a managerial perspective, this research underscores the imperative for late-entrant brands like BYD to move beyond price-centric strategies. Successful market penetration necessitates a dual focus: cultivating genuine brand trust and deploying differentiated marketing strategies to mitigate the psychological resistance stemming from consumer ethnocentrism.