I Don't Buy It: A Comparative Study of Cultural Capital, Persuasion, and Artificial Intelligence in Danish-American Ecommerce

Sammanfattning

With cross-border ecommerce transactions growing increasingly common in 2026, retailers struggle to ensure that their websites persuade members of foreign cultures to make purchases. This study examines a specific example of this phenomenon, in which Danish ecommerce platforms attempt to encourage purchases among customers from the USA. Ethnographic methodological practices are employed, including the semi-structured interviewing of 16 informants, participant-observation, net-nography, and autoethnography. Drawing on concepts of Signaling Theory (Spence, 1973), object value (Baudrillard, 1998), and Cultural Capital (Bourdieu, 1986), this study dissects the two foremost marketing strategies pursued in this goal: standardization and localization. A comparative analysis of two Danish companies is offered, with one company adopting the former strategy and the other, the latter. Examination of these companies’ intercultural practices concludes that both branding strategies rely on cultural capital in constructing a persuasive ecommerce platform, although the access and treatment of the capital varies. Further reflections dissect the fragilities of attaining cultural capital through various sources, drawing broader conclusions on the dialogue of in-group members discussing interlocutors of foreign cultures. This study concludes that both standardization and localization can serve as effective branding strategies to encourage ecommerce purchases among American consumers, with the caveat of impact variance based on consumer group. Further, it examines the growing involvement of Artificial Intelligence in marketing practices, including formulating assets, appealing to customers, and offering product recommendations. The analysis culminates in a reflection on the technologically motivated evolution of the field of marketing, in the context of cultural capital. Overall, this research finds applicability among companies aiming to improve the impact of their international ecommerce efforts and gives voice to the experience of serving as a cultural ambassador in a foreign environment.