CONSUMER ACCULTURATION: RESEARCH ON FOOD CONSUMPTION PATTERNS OF TURKISH IMMIGRANTS IN GERMANY

Purpose: By the end of 2007, 2.790.000 Turkish people were living in Germany and they constitute the largest ethnic group of the country. Although Turkish people have presence in Germany for about 45 years, their potential as consumers has been ignored until recently. However, they have a spending power of about 16.9 billion euro annually. Thus, the purpose of this research is to explore the consumption patterns and shopping behaviors of Turkish immigrants in Germany. We focused on the consumption and shopping of food products, and investigated whether food consumption patterns change due to the ethnic identification of immigrants. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approaches was used to collect data. We conducted a field survey in Cologne, Germany. Cologne is the city with the highest ratio of Turkish people compared to the whole population. The data was collected via a questionnaire from a sample of 438 people representing a very similar demographic make up of Turkish people in Germany. Findings: The findings show that ethnic identification has considerable impact on the food consumption patterns. Turkish consumers still maintain their original consumption culture for food products. Since most of the respondents identify themselves with their country of origin rather than to the home country, this kind of consumption makes sense. Most of the consumers prefer Turkish retailers and Turkish brands for meat, meat processed products and for vegetables. The study has found that respondents with strong ethnic identity have more preference for the food stuff of Turkish culture, for Turkish food retailers and Turkish restaurants. Research limitations/implications: This study provides valuable implications for ethnic marketing which has become a very popular marketing practice all around the world. Although different ethnic groups such as Hispanics, Chinese and Africans have been studied a lot, Turkish consumers in Europe have not been investigated much. Thus, this study provides a starting point for future research about the food consumption patterns and consumer acculturation of Turkish immigrants in Western Europe. The main limitation of the study is that the sample for field survey was selected just from Cologne. Originality/value: Prior research about consumer acculturation and consumption patterns of Turkish immigrants in Germany and Western Europe is very limited. Therefore this study which is funded by TSBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) fills such a gap in marketing literature. Especially Turkish and European entrepreneurs who want to target Turkish immigrants in Europe will have a better understanding of the specific characteristics of this market.