The Role of Intercultural Understanding in Enhancing International Consumer Trust: Moderated by Multilingual Branding Strategy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32815/jibeka.v20i2.2449Keywords:
Digital Economy, International Consumer Trust, Multilingual Branding Strategy, Intercultural UnderstandingAbstract
The growth of the digital economy in Indonesia has created significant opportunities for international brands to expand their market share. However, the success of global brands is not only determined by product quality but also by their ability to understand local cultural values and communicate effectively in a multilingual context. This study aims to analyze the influence of intercultural understanding on international consumer trust in Indonesia. The approach used is explanatory quantitative, with a survey method involving 200 respondents who have purchased international brands in Indonesia. The data was analyzed using SEM-PLS. The results indicate that intercultural understanding has a positive and significant effect on international consumer trust. Similarly, a multilingual branding strategy has a positive effect on consumer trust. Furthermore, the moderation results indicate that a multilingual branding strategy strengthens the relationship between intercultural understanding and consumer trust. These findings confirm that a combination of cultural sensitivity and multilingual communication is a key strategy in building consumer trust and loyalty in the Indonesian market. The implications of this research demonstrate the value of cross-cultural adaptation and inclusive communication as the foundation of sustainable global marketing.
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Bank Indonesia. (2025). Indonesian E-Commerce Statistics 2025. Retrieved from https://www.bi.go.id
Central Statistics Agency (BPS). (2024). Indonesian Culture Statistics 2024. Retrieved from https://www.bps.go.id
Chen, G. M., & Starosta, W. J. (2021). Intercultural communication competence: A synthesis. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 84, 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2021.07.005
Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach for structural equation modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (Ed.), Modern Methods for Business Research (pp. 295–336). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Delgado-Ballester, E., & Munuera-Alemán, J. L. (2005). Does brand trust matter to brand equity? Journal of Product & Brand Management, 14(3), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420510601058
Google, Temasek, & Bain & Company. (2024). e-Conomy SEA 2024 Report. Retrieved from https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/e_conomy_sea_2024_report.pdf
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hong, J. W., & Wyer, R. S. (2018). Cultural congruity and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 45(4), 774–793. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy018
Lee, S. Y., & Chen, H. (2023). Language and trust: The impact of multilingual branding on global consumers. International Journal of Advertising, 42(1), 112–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2022.2106123
Li, X., & Kim, J. (2023). Building consumer trust in cross-cultural contexts. Journal of International Marketing, 31(2), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069031X231146028
Luna, D., & Gupta, S. F. (2020). An integrative framework for cross-cultural consumer behavior. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 32(4), 245–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2019.1673705
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment–trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
Rahim, N. M., Ismail, Z., & Tan, S. (2023). Cultural empathy and trust in Southeast Asian consumer markets. Asian Journal of Marketing, 17(2), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.3923/ajm.2023.45.61
Usunier, J. C., & Shaner, J. (2020). The role of language in international marketing. International Business Review, 29(4), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101715
We Are Social & Kepios. (2025). Digital 2025: Indonesia Report. Retrieved from https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-indonesia
World Bank. (2024). Indonesia Digital Economy Outlook 2024. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/indonesia/publication
Zhang, Y., & Li, X. (2022). Cross-cultural branding and consumer trust in global markets. Journal of Business Research, 145, 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.02.013
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mai Yuliza, Mia Muchia Desda, Tissa Aulia Damayanti, Marissa Pusparini, Roky Aprinsyah, Satriadi Satriadi, Nadilla Hadring, Sri Karni

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Happy reading. Don't be shy to cite
