The Daigou phenomenon: exploring the heterodox behaviours of entrepreneurial Chinese shoppers

Overview

As demand for Australian-made products increases, a new type of entrepreneur has emerged. Daigous, or purchasing agents, serve as important ‘middlemen’ – connecting Chinese customers with Western brands. Daigou have become a paradox. They have been associated with ‘unorthodox’ behaviours such as stockpiling highly sought after products, for example, they have previously created market-wide shortages of infant formula. On the other hand, Daigou are increasingly enacting opportunistic behaviours, boosting demand for premium Australian products such as, cosmetics, skincare and vitamins.

Recently, a growing a body of scholarly research (see Fisher et al., 2020; Glavas et al., 2023) recognises that entrepreneurship can manifest in non-traditional forms and contexts, giving rise to ‘heterodox’ behaviours – behaviors which deviate from accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs to unorthodox actions (Pidduck and Tucker, 2022). However, empirical research exploring this phenomenon, particularly in the context of Daigou are scarce. Consequently, the intended research aims to explore heterodox behaviours, how they manifest in the novel context of Daigou and how they are shaping a new retail landscape.

Students interested in this project should first read: Glavas, C., Mortimer, G., Ding, H., Grimmer, L., Vorobjovas-Pinta, O., & Grimmer, M. (2023). How entrepreneurial behaviors manifest in non-traditional, heterodox contexts: Exploration of the Daigou phenomenon. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 19, e00385.

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Keywords

• entrepreneurship
• entrepreneur
• Daigou
• retail
• heterodox
• China

Contact

Contact Dr Charmaine Glavas if you are interested in this project: charmaine.glavas@qut.edu.au