Country-of-Origin and Consumer Purchase Intention in the Sri Lankan Smartphone Market: The Mediating Roles of Brand Image and Attitude Toward the Brand (Western Province)

This study focuses on examining how the country-of-origin influences the purchase intention of Sri Lankan Consumers in Western Province. Data were collected from 384 respondents using the purposive sampling technique via an online questionnaire. Researcher used the bootstrapping method to explore how Brand Image and Attitude Towards the Brand act as bridges connecting Country of Origin with Purchase Intention. Findings reveal that Attitude Towards the Brand significantly mediates the relationship between Country of Origin and Purchase Intention, while Brand Image has no mediating effect. Furthermore, there is a direct relationship between the Country of Origin and Purchase intention of Consumers. This research contributes to the theoretical framework by focusing on the role of Brand Image and Attitude towards the Brand in mediating the relationship between Country of origin and Purchase intention of smartphones.