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Revision with unchanged content. Over the last decades, automobile market has become not only increasingly competitive, but also increasingly global. Under such conditions, which do not apply only to this market, it becomes crucial not only to know how customers behave, but also how this behavior varies across nations. Little has been written in respect of the purchase behavior on retail level. The goal of the study presented in this book is to fill the knowledge gap at least partially with regard to Volkswagen brand, confronting the actual car-shopping behavior of Czech and Italian customers. The methodological literature review resulted in the individuation of qualitative approach in general and participant observation in particular, as the most appropriate data collection method, given also the explorative and cross-national nature of the research. The data demonstrated the existence of behavioral discrepancies, which can be explained by certain macro-environmental factors. This book should be of use to professionals marketing their products in multiple national settings as well as to anyone intentioned to conduct a cross-national research of shopping behavior.

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Studied Marketing and Market Research at University of Pisa. Phd student at Faculty of Economics, University of Pisa. Fields of study: consumer research, immigration and consumer acculturation, consumer culture.

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