Cross-national adoption of innovations: the effects of cultural dimensions on the number of adopters at takeoff

The study focuses on the domain of the cross-national evolution of innovation adoption. Of special interest in national markets is innovation adoption at the moment of takeoff. The takeoff point lies between the introductory and the growth phases of innovation adoption, and divides the behavior of adopters. Following earlier research on the influences of cultural attributes on consumer behavior and differences in national markets, this paper empirically investigates how attributes at the cultural and national level may affect the amount of innovation adopters at the takeoff point in a cross-national setting. The paper reports results that confirm the influence of cultural and national attributes, despite global converging trends. The study reveals that particularly the masculinity and national income level of a culture can affect the adoption of innovations. This information might be useful to those companies launching radical innovations internationally and planning operations.