Generational Consumer Segments and Shopping Process Characteristics

Doris H,Kincade,Jihyun Kim,Fay Gibson 한국마케팅과학회 2010 Journal of Global Fashion Marketing Vol.1 No.1

Understanding consumers by examining their characteristics within segments is a key activity for business success. Many apparel businesses use this strategic tool for focusing their promotions efforts and their assortment selections on a group or segment of consumers. For practitioners and academicians, two of the largest and most intriguing consumer segments in the 2000s are Baby Boomers and Echo Boomers (i.e., Gen Ys). The Echo Boomers are the children of the Baby Boomers or the second generation of consumers following the generation of the Baby Boomers. These generational segments represent two of the most affluent consumer groups in the market place. Many retailers and academic researchers are interested in these segments, and although each segment has received some review, limited academic research has examined their apparel shopping behavior. Studies tend to be focused on one generation but not on the comparison of the two generations and their similar or different shopping activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of generational consumer segments, shopping orientation, and specific product categories on the shopping process variables. Data collection resulted in 355 usable responses from Echo Boomers (ages 18-24) and 180 responses from Baby Boomers (ages 46-59). The respondents, for both generations, included three-fourths female and one-fourth male consumers. The primary occupation for Baby Boomers was listed as professionals (53%), while the second most common occupation was listed as homemaker (16%). More than 98% of the Echo Boomers were full time students. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in two shopping orientation variables (i.e., fashionista and experiential). Multiple regression analyses showed that these two orientation factors significantly explained both segments’ shopping process activities (i.e., wait time and try on). In contrast, the generational segment variable showed no significant differences for the shopping process activities. Findings from this study support the previous work place literature that notes similarities between the segments. In this study, age (i.e., generational segments) was not a significant factor in explaining selection activities (i.e., try on and wait time). This finding refutes previous studies that proclaim the differences between the Baby Boomers and the Echo Boomers and provides support for the similarities, not differences, between the two generational segments. With the similarities between generational segments being identified, the differences found with other variables are further discussed. The shopping orientation variable provided more information in explaining consumers’ selection activities than the generational segments. Regardless of age (i.e., generational segment), both Echo Boomers and Baby Boomers in this study, who scored high on the fashionista shopping orientation factor, placed less importance on try-on activities and were less willing to wait for products. The try-on activities variable was also explained by the experiential shopping orientation in comparison to its lack of differentiation with the generational segments variable. Consumers, regardless of age, who rated experiential activities as more important when shopping were the consumers who wanted to try on the products. Denim was the one product category variable, in the conceptual model, that explained try-on and wait time activities. Consumers who placed more importance on denim, specifically the fit, color and styling of blue jeans, were the consumers who were more willing to wait for products to be delivered. This research has a number of implications for practitioners and for academicians. Previous research studies in several fields have noted that consumers may react differently to various situations according to their generational segment (i.e., age grouping).

럭셔리 소비자 세분화와 각 세분시장의 특징: 세대별 차이

김지은 ( Ji Eun Kim ) 아시아.유럽미래학회 2014 유라시아연구 Vol.11 No.3

마케팅 전략을 수립함에 있어서는 세분화된 타겟 마켓의 소비자 행동에 대한 이해가 필수적이지만 럭셔리 마켓에 대해서는 이를 위한 노력이 부족하였다. 이에 이 연구는 럭셔리 소비자들을 다음4가지 요인―럭셔리 상품에 대한 태도(elitist와 democratic을 구분하는 요인임), 개인의 사회적 가치에 대한 중요도 (List of Value), 연령, 수입―을 활용하여 세분화하고, 각 소비자 집단들의 소비행동의 특징들을 살펴봄으로써 럭셔리 기업의 마케터들에게 좀 더 실용적인 정보를 제공하고자 하였다. 데이터는 온라인 서베이 방법을 사용하여 수집하되 응답자의 가계 수입을 기준으로 층화추출법(Stratified sampling method)을 활용함으로써 각 수입 구간별($55,000이하, $55,000~$100,000, $100,000이상) 응답자의 수를 상당히 균등하게 확보할 수 있었다. 총 593개의 서베이 응답지를 활용하여 분석하였으며, 분석을 위해서는 위에 언급한 4가지 요인을 활용한 군집분석(Clustering Analysis) 방법을 활용하였으며, 그 결과 3가지의 소비자 그룹을 발견할 수 있었는바, 이 그룹들은 Me-generation, X-generation,Baby boomer generation과 같은 세대들의 특징을 상당히 명확히 반영하는 것으로 나타났다. 이에 연구자는 각 소비자 그룹의 이름을 “Gen-Me”, “Gen-X”, “Gen-Baby Boomer”로 명명하기로 하였다. 각각의 그룹을 간단히 설명하면, Gen-Me그룹의 럭셔리에 대한 태도는 Elitist였으며, 나이의 평균은26세, 소득평균은 $45,000, 사회적 가치에 대한 중요도는 높은수준을 보여주었다. Gen-X그룹도 Gen-Me와 마찬가지로 럭셔리에 대한 태도는 Elitist, 그리고 사회적 가치에 대한 중요도도 높은 수준을 보여주었다. 반면 평균소득수준은 $95,000이었으며, 평균나이는 37세였다. 마지막으로 Gen-Baby boomer그룹은 럭셔리에 대한 태도가 Democratics였으며, 사회적 가치에 대한 중요도도 위 두 그룹과는 유의한 차이의 낮은 수준을 보여주었다. 평균소득수준은 $85,000이었으며, 평균나이는 53세로 나타났다. UnivatiateANOVA를 활용하여 위 세 그룹의 쇼핑 행동에 대한 좀더 구체적인 사항(쇼핑 빈도, 쇼핑의 즐거움, 패션정보 수집시간, 구매결정에 영향을 미치는 매체)들에 대해서 살펴보았으며, 이후 각 그룹 간 관계를 살피기 위해 Post-hoc 분석을 실시하였다. 그 결과 쇼핑빈도와 쇼핑의 즐거움, 패션정보 수집시간에 대해서는 Gen-Me와 Gen-X그룹들은 높은 수준을 보여주었으며, 두 그룹은 유의한 차이를 보이지 않았다. 반면 Gen-Baby boomer그룹만이 이들과 유의한 차이를 보여주었으며, 위 두 그룹에 비해 낮은 수준을 보여주었다. 구매졀정에 영향을 미치는 매체에 대해서도 위 세 그룹의 경향은 위와 비슷한 결과를 보여주었으나, Up-Scale Catalog를 활용한다는 점에 대해서는 Gen-X만이 높은 수준을 보여주었으며, 다른두 소비자 그룹과 유의한 차이를 보였다. Gen-X그룹이 업스케일 리테일러의 상품카탈로그를 패션정보수집에 활용한다는 점을 미루어 보아 이 그룹이 럭셔리 상품의 가장 적극적인 실수요자로 예측된다. 결론적으로, 세개의 그룹 중 가장 높은 소득수준과 Elitist의 태도를 지닌Gen-X 그룹이 럭셔리 시장에서 가장 강력한 소비자그룹인 것으로 예측된다. 특히 이들은 럭셔리에 대한 태도가 Elitist로 나타남으로 가격이 매우 높은 럭셔리 브랜드의 상품을 선호할 것으로 보였다. 또한 Gen-Me세분시장도 매우 강한 잠재적인 럭셔리 소비자 집단으로 나타났다. 그러나 Gen-Baby boomer세분시장은 럭셔리 시장에서 그리매력적인 시장은 아닌 것으로 보여 진다. 그렇지만, 이들의 럭셔리에 대한 태도가 “Democratic”인 점으로 보아 가격적인 면에서 상대적으로 저렴한 브랜드를 선호할 가능성은 높을 것으로 보이므로 이러한점을 각 브랜드의 상황에 맞게 마케팅 전략을 구축하는 것이 필요하겠다. Understanding consumer behavior based on segmented consumer groups should be advanced in order to effectively target these specific consumer groups. However, there has been little effort to segment luxury consumers and reveal their behaviors even though the economic impact of this market has been increasing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to discover different types of a luxury consumer group using consumer attitude towards luxury goods which identify “elitist” vs. “democratic” and other several factors (i.e., income, age, and List of Value). Furthermore, exploring characteristics of the segments was followed to offer additional ideas for the marketers to develop effective target marketing strategies. Online survey was employed and total sample of 593 was used for analysis. Stratified sampling method allowed collecting diverse participants in terms of their income (i.e., less than $55,000, $55,000~$100,000, more than $100,000). Cluster analysis was used to find segments and finally three consumer segments were found based on the following variables: consumer attitude toward luxury, LOV, age, and income. As a result, three clusters were named giving consideration to generational characteristics since the three clusters seemed to represent generations such as the Me-generation, X-generation, and Baby boomer generation fairly clearly. Therefore, I named those three clusters using the name of their generation: “Gen-Me”, “Gen-X”, and “Gen-Baby Boomer.” The two younger adult groups, Gen-Me and Gen-X, were elitist in their attitude toward luxury and had high scores on LOV. The only difference between these two groups was income level. The oldest group, Gen-Baby boomer held a democratic attitude toward luxury, and demonstrated a low level of LOV and high incomes. Next, the three luxury consumer segments were profiled on levels of shopping related variables (i.e., shopping frequency, shopping enjoyment, time to gather fashion related information, and media types influencing clothing purchase decisions) using ANOVA in order to provide practical information for luxury sectors. In addition, post-hoc analysis was conducted to investigate relationship between each group with respect to each variable. Gen-Me and Gen-X groups were similar in level of shopping frequency, shopping enjoyment, and time spent on gathering fashion information. In terms of media types influencing clothing purchase behavior, the Gen-Me and Gen-X showed a similar pattern except for one item, “upper-scale catalog” (e.g., catalogs distributed from upper scale retailers such as Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue). Gen-X participants was more influenced by this form of media (upper-scale catalog) in their purchase decisions concerning clothing than Gen-Me participants. From this study, Gen-X appeared to be the most powerful consumers in luxury market for several reasons. First, they are high income and hold elitist attitudes toward luxury products. They also are materialistic. These characteristics imply that they may prefer to consume rather high priced luxury brands than affordable ones. Additionally, Gen-Me was also turned out to be a strong potential luxury consumers, while Gen-Baby boomers were not shown to be an attractive target market for luxury business sectors considering their shopping behaviors. However, affordable priced luxury brands may want to target this consumer, Gen-Baby boomer since they hold democratic attitude toward luxury which indicates opposite opinion about “luxury product is inevitably expensive.”

Mixture Model을 이용한 영화 소비자의 시장세분화 연구

김소영(Kim, So Young),이유리(Lee, Yoo Ri) 한국문화산업학회 2013 문화산업연구 Vol.13 No.3

본 연구는 문화산업의 대표적인 분야인 영화산업을 대상으로 영화시장 세분화를 실시하였다. 한국 영화산업은 2012년에 역대 최다 관객 수인 1억 9,489만 명과 1조 4,551억 원의 입장권 흥행수입을 기록하는 등 성장세를 이어가고 있지만, 영화산업에 대한 마케팅 측면에서의 연구는 많이 이루어지지 않았다. 이에 본 연구에서는 극장, 인터넷/모바일 등 다양한 매체별 영화관람 행동을 중심으로 영화소비자를 세분화하고 각 세분시장의 특성을 파악하며, 이를 토대로 영화 마케터를 위한 세분시장별 전략 방향을 제시하고자 한다. 본 연구에 사용된 변수와 척도의 다양성을 감안하여, 가장 적절한 분석방법인 Mixture Model을 사용하여 시장을 세분화하였으며, 분석결과 극장 영화족, 온라인 영화족, 영화 무관심족, 영화 매니아족의 4개 세분시장으로 영화소비자를 세분화하였다. 끝으로 세분시장별 영화 관람행동의 차이를 분석하고 이에 따른 세분시장별 마케팅 전략 방향을 제공하였다. 본 연구는 기존 연구들이 지금까지 연구들은 주로 극장 영화소비자를 분석하거나 극장 또는 온라인 영화소비행동의 한 측면만을 반영한 것과는 달리, 극장 영화관람 행동 및 온라인 영화콘텐츠 소비 행동을 중심으로 영화소비자를 다양한 영화매체별로 세분화하여 행동적 특성을 다각적으로 이해하는 데 기여했다는 학문적 의의와 영화산업 마케터들에게 세분시장별 기초적인 마케팅 정보 및 전략 방향을 제시했다는 점에서 실무적 의의를 찾을 수 있다. This study tries to segment movie market representative of cultural industry. In 2012, Korean movie industry is accomplishing growth up to 19,489 ten thousand audiences and 14,551 hundred million won, but not many studies have been done from marketing perspective for movie industry. For this study, we segment movie audiences based on viewing behavior on movie and analyze attributes of each segment market, and then suggest strategy for each segment market to movie marketers. Considering various variables and measurement, we segment movie market using milxture model. We identified four significant segments such as theater movie segment, digital movie segment, indifferent to movie segment, and movie mania segment. Finally, we analyze differences on viewing behavior on movie classified by each segment and provide marketing strategy direction for each segment. Different from existing researches focused on analyzing film consumers mainly at theater or reflected one point of view on movie consumption behavior, this study academically contributes to understand multilaterally behavioral attributes of film consumer classified by movie media such as movie viewing behavior through theater and consuming behavior of on-line movie contents and has meaningful business implication since it suggests marketing information and strategy direction for each segment. 본 연구는 문화산업의 대표적인 분야인 영화산업을 대상으로 영화시장 세분화를 실시하였다. 한국 영화산업은 2012년에 역대 최다 관객 수인 1억 9,489만 명과 1조 4,551억 원의 입장권 흥행수입을 기록하는 등 성장세를 이어가고 있지만, 영화산업에 대한 마케팅 측면에서의 연구는 많이 이루어지지 않았다. 이에 본 연구에서는 극장, 인터넷/모바일 등 다양한 매체별 영화관람 행동을 중심으로 영화소비자를 세분화하고 각 세분시장의 특성을 파악하며, 이를 토대로 영화 마케터를 위한 세분시장별 전략 방향을 제시하고자 한다. 본 연구에 사용된 변수와 척도의 다양성을 감안하여, 가장 적절한 분석방법인 Mixture Model을 사용하여 시장을 세분화하였으며, 분석결과 극장 영화족, 온라인 영화족, 영화 무관심족, 영화 매니아족의 4개 세분시장으로 영화소비자를 세분화하였다. 끝으로 세분시장별 영화 관람행동의 차이를 분석하고 이에 따른 세분시장별 마케팅 전략 방향을 제공하였다. 본 연구는 기존 연구들이 지금까지 연구들은 주로 극장 영화소비자를 분석하거나 극장 또는 온라인 영화소비행동의 한 측면만을 반영한 것과는 달리, 극장 영화관람 행동 및 온라인 영화콘텐츠 소비 행동을 중심으로 영화소비자를 다양한 영화매체별로 세분화하여 행동적 특성을 다각적으로 이해하는 데 기여했다는 학문적 의의와 영화산업 마케터들에게 세분시장별 기초적인 마케팅 정보 및 전략 방향을 제시했다는 점에서 실무적 의의를 찾을 수 있다. This study tries to segment movie market representative of cultural industry. In 2012, Korean movie industry is accomplishing growth up to 19,489 ten thousand audiences and 14,551 hundred million won, but not many studies have been done from marketing perspective for movie industry. For this study, we segment movie audiences based on viewing behavior on movie and analyze attributes of each segment market, and then suggest strategy for each segment market to movie marketers. Considering various variables and measurement, we segment movie market using milxture model. We identified four significant segments such as theater movie segment, digital movie segment, indifferent to movie segment, and movie mania segment. Finally, we analyze differences on viewing behavior on movie classified by each segment and provide marketing strategy direction for each segment. Different from existing researches focused on analyzing film consumers mainly at theater or reflected one point of view on movie consumption behavior, this study academically contributes to understand multilaterally behavioral attributes of film consumer classified by movie media such as movie viewing behavior through theater and consuming behavior of on-line movie contents and has meaningful business implication since it suggests marketing information and strategy direction for each segment.

금융소비자 유형화 및 유형별 포트폴리오 분석

백은영 ( Eun-young Baek ),고화정 ( Hwa-jung Kho ) 한국소비자학회 2015 소비자학연구 Vol.26 No.6

본 연구는 공급 중심의 금융시장이 수요자 중심의 시장으로 변화함에 따라 금융시장에서의 금융소비자는 어떠한 유형으로 유형화되는지를 분석하고 그 특성을 살펴보고자 하였다. 본 연구를 위해 한국투자자보호재단의 펀드투자자조사 자료를 활용하였고, 그 중 만 25-64세 성인 응답자 1,119명을 분석대상으로 삼았다. 응답자들의 투자경험 및 성향, 투자교육과 재무상담 현황, 투자자보호에 대한 견해, 인구통계학적 특성을 가지고 믹스처 모델(mixture model)을 활용해 우리나라 금융소비자를 유형화 하였고, 각 유형별 금융소비자의 금융자산 포트폴리오를 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 첫째, 우리나라 금융소비자는 크게 소극적 의존투자형, 적극적 자립투자형, 준비하는 안정투자형의 3개 유형으로 구분되었다. 소극적 의존투자형은 기존의 예금이나 저축성 보험 중심으로 금융자산을 배분하고, 안정지향적이며 투자에 대한 경험이나 지식도 미흡하며 투자에 크게 관심이 없는 유형으로 금융소비자의 절반을 차지하였다. 적극적 자립투자형은 수익을 추구하는 유형으로 증권 직접투자에 최근 발달한 간접투자를 더해 금융자산을 배분하는 것으로 나타났고, 준비하는 안정투자형은 금융교육 및 상담 경험 비율이 다른 유형에 비해 현저히 높게 나타나 투자에 관심이 있는 것으로 보이며 간접투자 상품을 중심으로 투자를 배우면서 조금씩 늘려나가는 유형으로 나타났다. 둘째, 금융소비자 유형별 금융자산 포트폴리오는 서로 다르게 나타났다. 소극적 의존투자형의 경우 은행예금 및 적금이 전체 금융자산의 절반, 저축성 보험의 비중이 19% 정도로 약 70% 정도를 안전한 금융자산으로 보유하고 있었다. 적극적 자립투자형은 직·간접 금융투자자산이 전체의 약 45%로 투자상품에 대한 비중이 높은 편이었고, 준비하는 안정투자형의 경우 1/3은 안전자산에 1/3은 간접투자 상품에 배분하는 특징을 나타내어 주었다. 본 연구는 우리나라 금융소비자를 투자와 관련한 다양한 측면을 통합적으로 고려하여 유형화 하였다는 데 의의가 있다. 본 연구 결과는 금융소비자와 관련한 정책 입안이나 각 유형에 따른 금융기관의 마케팅 활동, 또는 유형별 재무설계안 수립에 활용할 수 있는 자료가 될 수 있을 것이다. As the financial market has changed during the last decade, the market has become more consumer oriented. Changes in financial market has changed financial consumer``s needs in the financial markets. Customization has become an important issue in financial market. In spite of these changes, there is very little effort of segmenting financial consumers to meet their different needs. Therefore, this study was to examine the segmentation of financial consumer markets in Korea. Specifically, the purpose of the study was to investigate the segmentation in financial consumer market, to identify the characteristics of each segmentation and to analyze the financial asset portfolio of each segmentation. Using the Survey of Fund Investors, 1,119 respondents between 25-64 years old were analyzed. Respondents`` demographic characteristics, investment experiences, attitude towards investment, financial education or counseling experiences, and opinions about protection for financial consumers were analyzed altogether by a mixture model. Then, one-way ANOVA and Duncan Test were utilized to examine the differences in financial asset portfolio among each segmentation. The results showed that financial consumers were divided into three groups: passive-dependent investors, active-independent investors, and preparing-safe investor. The passive-dependent investors were almost half of the financial consumers in Korea. They had little investment experiences and knowledge, did not show much interests in investment, and showed risk aversion; thus, they allocate most of their asset in non-risky asset such as savings or checking account and cash-value life insurance. They also did not have much experiences of financial education or counseling. The active-independent investors were 1/3 of the financial consumers. They pursued high return so were willing to take financial risks. They invested assets to stocks and bonds and funds, showing that about 45% of their financial assets were allocated in securities and funds. The preparing-safe investor were less than 20% of the total financial consumers. More than 2/3 of the preparing-safe investors had financial education or counseling experience, showing that their increasing interests in investment. They allocated 1/3 of their financial asset in safe assets such as savings account and allocated 1/3 of asset in fund. Based on the results, marketing strategies for financial institutions and financial consumer protection polities were suggested.

일본소비자의 식생활라이프스타일에 따른 HMR 제품 시장세분화

박시은,이나영,홍완수,Park, Si-Eun,Yi, Na-Young,Hong, Wan-Soo 한국식품조리과학회 2016 한국식품조리과학회지 Vol.32 No.4

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the segments of the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) market according to food-related lifestyle of Japanese consumers, and to investigate its demographic characteristics, the HMR purchase status and needs of new HMR product development. Methods: A total of 2,720 domestic consumers living in Japan were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire and 488 responses were returned. Excluding responses with significant missing data, 467 responses were used for data analysis. Results: As a result of cluster analysis, three consumer segments were identified. The diet-highly concerned segment had the highest food-related lifestyle score, followed by the diet-moderately concerned segment, and the diet-unconcerned segment (p<0.001). A significant difference in demographic characteristics among the three segments was found with respect to the type of residence (p<0.05). There were significant differences in the main place (p<0.01) and average expense (p<0.001) for HMR purchases by food-related lifestyle segments. In the case of new HMR products that need further development, 'low-sodium products' had the highest demand scores in all three segments. In the diet-highly concerned segment, the mean scores of demand for new products were significantly higher than those in the other segments (p<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study can be used to develop new products for the Japanese' HMR market. The segments identified in this study should be updated and revised regularly to reflect changes in the characteristics of each food-related lifestyle segment.

A Study on Green Consumer Segmentation Based on Socio-Demographics and Behavioral Responses: Renewing the Relationships between Socio-demographics and Green Behavior

Kim, Young Doo Korean Marketing Association 2015 ASIA MARKETING JOURNAL Vol.17 No.1

In the 21^st century, green consumer behavior, playing one of the core roles of sustainability, is still an important issue to green-related stakeholders. Because one of the major objectives of green-consumer research is an improvement of behaviors aligned with greening, this paper revisited socio-demographic variables and shed light on segmenting and profiling green consumers based on their connectedness between socio-demographic variables and green behaviors. Using correlations, factor analysis, analysis of variance, k-means cluster analysis and χ²-tests, this paper shows that socio-demographic variables differentially impact green-consumer behaviors. In order to profile green consumers, this paper additionally attempts to segment green-consumer groups. The results also coincide with former findings that socio-demographic variables relate significantly with segmented green-consumer group behaviors. General findings are summarized as: 1) older people used green practices more strongly than younger people, 2) females demonstrated better energy-saving and recycling practices compared to males, 3) marital status also significantly influenced green-related behaviors, 4) subjective social class had a significant influence on green-related behaviors, 5) education level and income, however, weakly influenced or showed no impact on green-related behaviors, and 6) a green consumer was classified as an 'active green consumer,' 'utilitarian green consumer,' or 'inactivated green consumer.' The utilitarian green consumer group distinctively behaved more strongly in energy-saving and recycling practices compared to the inactivated green consumer group, whereas active green consumers behaved more strongly on the whole, when compared to those in the inactivated green consumer group.

Lifestyle Segmentation: Market Strategies to Win Customers in The Technology Market

임채미,이지은,임희진 한국소비문화학회 2009 소비문화연구 Vol.12 No.1

This study identifies consumer lifestyle segments among consumers of technology market. By using multi-step cluster analysis, this study categorizes respondents (n=1,186) into four distinct consumer lifestyle groups Smart shoppers, Trendy shoppers, Tech-laggards, and Apathetic shoppers. Overall, four cluster groups show significant differences in lifestyle variables such as priceconsciousness, brand-consciousness, fashion consciousness, and technology innovativeness. Consumer lifestyle segmentation is validated by comparing various shopping-related attitudes and behavior across segments. Findings show that respondents in four consumer lifestyle clusters significantly differ from each other in terms of perception of different shopping channels, impulse buying behavior, and ownership of innovative technology products. Based on the results, strategic implications for marketers are discussed. This study identifies consumer lifestyle segments among consumers of technology market. By using multi-step cluster analysis, this study categorizes respondents (n=1,186) into four distinct consumer lifestyle groups Smart shoppers, Trendy shoppers, Tech-laggards, and Apathetic shoppers. Overall, four cluster groups show significant differences in lifestyle variables such as priceconsciousness, brand-consciousness, fashion consciousness, and technology innovativeness. Consumer lifestyle segmentation is validated by comparing various shopping-related attitudes and behavior across segments. Findings show that respondents in four consumer lifestyle clusters significantly differ from each other in terms of perception of different shopping channels, impulse buying behavior, and ownership of innovative technology products. Based on the results, strategic implications for marketers are discussed.

Young Chinese Consumers’ Perceptions toward a U.S. Apparel Brand

Chae Mi Lim,Ning Yu,Youn-Kyung Kim 한국마케팅과학회 2011 마케팅과학연구 Vol.21 No.2

The mature and competitive domestic retail environment has driven U.S. retailers to seek opportunities for expansion to new emerging economies such as The People’s Republic of China (China). The entrance of China into the World Trade Organization, combined with great market potential due to the large population and rapid economic growth, has made China one of the most attractive markets for U.S. companies. As young Chinese consumers are exposed to Western lifestyles, their demand for foreign apparel has increased. Although these young Chinese consumers offer favorable atmosphere to foreign apparel firms, an important question facing U.S. apparel firms is whether young Chinese consumers would be interested in buying U.S. apparel brands when China is already the world’s largest apparel manufacturer and is producing many domestic brands. Another important issue is that Chinese consumers are not a homogeneous group. Although young Chinese consumers crave for fashionable and famous brands, some Chinese traditional values and beliefs such as balancing quality, price, and utility may lower their desire to buy foreign brands products (Chen, 2009). This notion suggests that differences may exist among these young consumers in psychographic characteristics relevant to apparel consumption. To this end, this study was designed to identify distinct segments among Chinese consumers identified as a potential target market to U.S. retailers (i.e., younger, well-educated, urban-living Chinese consumers) based on psychographic variables and to examine each segment’s brand equity perceptions toward a U.S. apparel brand. A sample of college students (n=220) who were enrolled at two major universities in Tianjin, China, was used. The analyses involved a two-step cluster analysis based on the domain-specific psychographic factors that are relevant to young Chinese consumers’ foreign apparel consumption (i.e., need for uniqueness, satisfaction with life, satisfaction with appearance, and attitudes toward American products). Each consumer segment identified from the cluster analysis was profiled with four brand equity perceptions (i.e., brand loyalty, brand association with brand awareness, perceived quality, and emotional value) using a multivariate profile analysis. This study demonstrated that domain-specific psychographic characteristics (i.e., need for uniqueness, satisfaction with life, satisfaction with appearance, and attitudes toward American products) successfully segmented potential Chinese consumers for the U.S. apparel brand. The cluster analysis generated five distinct groups of Chinese consumers: self-satisfied, American product lover, uniqueness seeker, satisfied ethnocentric and apathetic consumer segments. Furthermore, consumer perceptions toward a US brand (the Polo Ralph Lauren brand) on four brand equity dimensions differed among consumer segments. The findings supported the argument that potential target Chinese consumers for U.S. apparel brands, who are younger, well-educated, urban-living consumers, are not homogeneous, and thus cannot be targeted with identical marketing strategies. Although identifying profitable consumers who are likely to buy U.S. apparel brands among young urban consumers may be a challenge to U.S. apparel retailers, an opportunity seems to exist because a great portion of respondents (i.e., Self-satisfied consumers and American product lovers) exhibited relatively positive attitudes toward American products and positive brand perceptions toward Polo Ralph Lauren brand. Among the four dimensions of consumer-based brand equity toward Polo Ralph Lauren brand, perceived quality received the highest ratings for all five consumer segments. However, consumers provided relatively lower mean scores on brand loyalty that contained more behavioral-oriented items than the other three brand equity dimensions. The result on young Chinese consumers’ relatively low brand loyalty is consistent with the argu...

BRAND DEVOTED VS. NOT BRAND DEVOTED: DIFFERENCE IN CONSUMER PREFERENCES

Antonio Iazzi,Savino Santovito 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2015 Global Fashion Management Conference Vol.2015 No.06

In the process that leads to the purchase of a product, the consumer, guided by the reasons for which he or she has decided to make the purchase (motivation), seeks information that will be useful in making the best choice, minimising the associated risks (Erdem &Swait, 1998). The literature (Kotler 2003) refers mainly to consumer behaviours founded on rational principles. Indeed, the product is understood as the sum of a number of attributes that enable it to meet the needs that prompted the purchase in the first place. Depending on the weight attributed to each attribute (Fishbein 1967), different market segments are generated, reflecting different consumer behaviours. It therefore becomes indispensable for companies to understand how each potential consumer evaluates a product’s attributes and what role is played in this regard by the brand. Although the behaviour of consumers cannot easily be schematised, given the specific characteristics of each individual, it can be argued that the process of choosing a product depends on the consumer’s preference for either branded or unbranded goods (Hasan et al. 2012, Mohtar & Abbas 2014). The expectations that have developed in the consumer with respect to a brand, with the awareness of the characteristics that it is able to provide, can modify the perception of the attributes and thus the preferences that arise from the evaluation process. The literature confirms the existence of a positive relationship between the brand and the perception of quality that can increase trust in it (Krishnan et al., 1989; Ubilava et al. 2011). For this reason, the objective of the study is to assess the perception of a product’s attributes by two categories of consumers: brand-oriented and non-brand-oriented. The work thus concerns the choice of positioning strategies, which vary precisely in relation to the existence or otherwise of a brand. This was conducted with reference to the Jeans sector, given both its intrinsic characteristics (variety of production, orientation to differentiation, growth in consumption) and the frequent and specific attention paid to it by the managerial literature dealing with consumer purchasing processes (among others, see: Lee, 1990; Park & Lee, 1999; Delong et al.,2002; Vrontis & Vrontis, 2004; Wu, 2005; Wu & Delong, 2006; Jin et al., 2010). The above-mentioned objectives were pursued in accordance with a mixed-method research approach, divided into the following steps: a) an on-desk survey of the managerial literature on the sector in question and an in-depth qualitative investigation (by means of the so-called “laddering” interview technique), both aimed at identifying the purchase attributes of the jeans product; b) compilation of a questionnaire (with a pilot test conducted on 20 consumers) by 600 consumers (non-probabilistic sample) who regularly buy jeans. The data was processed by descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques (using SPSS software) in order to assess the role of the various purchase attributes with reference to the two types of consumer identified. As previously mentioned, the first on-field method of analysis used was of the in-depth, qualitative type (Russell et al. 2004; Philips & Reynolds 2009; Orsingher et al., 2011). It entailed 80 interviews (40 for each of the two categories of consumer, brand-devoted and non-brand-devoted, the number being useful for the goals to pursue as indicated by Reynolds et al., 2001), with the objective of highlighting and analysing the terminal values to which the individual aspires. To this end, we used the so-called “laddering” interview technique, which makes it possible to identify both the content of the three variables being analysed and the causal relations between them. The variables are (Reynolds & Gutman, 1988): the attributes (tangible and intangible), the consequences (functional and psychological benefits) and the values (instrumental and terminal). Specifically the “hard laddering” technique (Botschen & Hemetsberger, 1998) was used, which guides the respondent towards increasingly higher levels of abstraction. The “paper-and-pencil” method was applied, which made it possible to minimise the respondents’ conditioning, allowing them to follow their own cognitive route (Grunert, 1995). The interpretation of the information acquired by these methods made it possible to observe and understand the deep and personal motives that determine the choice of jeans product (see, among others, Orsingher et al. 2011; Fu & Wu, 2013), and thus to gain a more direct and effective understanding of the consumer’s behaviour. Once the attributes that determine the purchase of a pair jeans had been identified, the next step was the creation of the questionnaire with which to perform the sample-based investigation, conducted on 600 consumers1 who regularly purchase jeans. 55% of the sample interviewed were Italian, purchasing 1 to 4 pairs of jeans a year. Specifically, 31% of the sample purchased the product once every three months, while a further 32% purchased it twice a year. 78% were between 18 and 35 years old, while 2 out of 3 were women. With regard to the objectives of the present work, 33% purchased unbranded jeans while 67% were brand-devoted consumers. For measurement of the analysis variables, a normal assessment scale (1 = lowest value; 5 = highest value) was used. Specifically, the SPSS software was used to process the data so as to identify (by means of regression analysis) any correlation between the choice variables. For each of the two categories of consumer a factorial analysis was performed in order to identify factors that were shared by the measured determinants of choice, followed by a cluster analysis. This made it possible to: (a) identify the different role in the consumer choice process of the attributes and the other dimensions of analysis (benefits and values); (b) verify the presence of any differences in the role that the choice variables play in the purchase process among the two different categories of consumer being analysed; and (c) identify any clusters of consumers within each profile (brand-devoted and non-brand-devoted). The main objective was to verify the perception of the product choice variables by the two categories of consumer observed. This consideration is highly important to the choice of communication strategy, for both companies interested in the growth of their Brand Identity and unbranded companies. For the latter, it is the store, particularly the sales personnel, that plays the key role in the purchaser’s choices. It is in this context that non-brand-devoted consumers, verifying the characteristics of the product and its potential benefits, make their choice in consideration of the “desired final state” (values) that that they seek to obtain. In addition, the identification of clusters may enable, for the sector in question, a greater knowledge of the consumer and thus the activation of segmentation strategies and relative competitive positioning.

이동통신서비스 소비자역량과 규제에 대한 태도 연구 : 휴대폰 구매 성향에 따른 소비자 유형별 분석

옥경영,서인주,김선우,김시월,권대우 한국소비자정책교육학회 2016 소비자정책교육연구 Vol.12 No.3

이동통신서비스시장에서 실질적인 소비자 주권실현을 위하여 소비자역량 수준 및 규제에 대한 소비자의 평가가 중요하나 이에 대한 실증연구가 부족한 실정이므로 본 연구에서는 이동통신서비스 소비자역량과 규제에 대한 태도 수준을 살펴보고자 하였다. 이동통신 소비생활에 직접적인 영향을 미치는 보조금 규제가 2015년 단말기 유통구조 개선에 관한 법률 시행과 함께 강화됨에 따라 휴대폰 단말기 구매성향이 규제에 대한 소비자태도에 영향을 줄 것으로 예상되므로, 휴대폰 단말기 구매성향에 따라 소비자를 유형화한 후 소비자 유형별로 소비자역량과 규제에 대한 태도 수준을 살펴보고, 이동통신 소비만족도에 대한 영향요인을 분석하였다. 이동통신서비스 이용 소비자 400명을 대상으로 조사한 결과, 이동통신서비스 소비자는 휴대폰 단말기 구매성향에 따라 고관여형, 무관심형, 가격민감형, 스타일중시형의 네 가지 유형으로 유형화되었다. 소비자문제해결을 위한 소비자역량 수준, 이동통신서비스 관련 보조금 규제 및 단말기 유통구조개선에 관한 법률 시행에 대한 소비자태도는 전 유형에서 낮은 수준으로 나타났다. 유형별 이동통신 소비만족도에 대한 영향요인을 살펴보면, 고관여형, 무관심형은 가계지출 중 통신비 부담 수준이 이동통신 소비만족도에 부적 영향을 미치고 있었고, 가격민감형의 경우에만 보조금 규제 인지 및 소비자태도가 이동통신 소비만족도에 긍정적으로 기여하는 것으로 나타났다. 한편 스타일중시형은 사용단계의 소비자역량이 이동통신 소비만족도에 긍정적으로 영향을 미쳤다. 이상의 연구결과를 통하여, 소비자의 관점에서 보조금 규제 및 단말기 유통구조개선에 관한 법률을 통한 규제 강화에 대한 유용성은 그리 높지 않은 것을 알 수 있으므로 소비자지향적인 규제정책을 위하여 정책 입안 시 소비자유형별 정책수용도 검토가 선행되어야 하며, 이동통신서비스 소비자역량 강화를 위하여 소비자 유형별 접근이 필요하다. The Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act took effect in 2015 October to reduce average household spending on telecommunication services. Whereas there are a lot of reports on the effects of the act, it is hard to find empirical studies on the consumers' evaluation towards mobile device subsidy regulation in the perspective of consumer orientedness. In this background, authors investigated consumer capability in the mobile telecommunication services and consumers' attitudes towards the mobile phone subsidy regulation. For the purpose, consumers were classified into four segment groups by their mobile phone purchase tendencies: High involvement group, low interest group, price-sensitive group, and style-obsessed group. Consumer capabilities in the consumer problem resolution stage and consumer attitudes on mobile phone subsidy regulation were lowest level among all 4 groups. The research results showed that positive consumer attitudes on mobile subsidy regulation and higher consumer capability in the consumer problem resolution stage were the influential factors on consumer satisfaction on the mobile communication service only in the price- sensitive group. To enhance positive consumer attitudes towards government regulation and consumer's satisfactions on mobile telecommunication services, it is critical to consider consumers' perceived usefulness of the regulation and the influencing factors on consumer satisfaction by consumer segment before the regulation proposal.