An Exploratory Case Study on the Operation of Internet Shopping Malls for Small-and-Medium Sized Firms

중소기업 인터넷 쇼핑몰 운영에 관한 탐색적 사례 연구

The internet-based business is considered as a new strategic alternative for small-medium size companies. However, very little research about them has been reported. The objectives of this study are to analyze factors influencing the operation for the sites(we call, 'internet shopping mall') which small-and-medium sized firms have built, and to provide the general directions of the successful internee-based business for the small-and-medium sized firms. This paper reports the case studies in which the internet-based electronic commerce practices of 6 small-and-medium sized firms were examined over a 3 month period. In the meantime, this paper reports their present business condition, system environment, positioning, marketing strategy, forward business expectation, and market barrier. This study also focuses on two environmental dimensions of system development; One dimension is on-line only or off-line widened, and the other is self-built or outsourcing. The results found in this study are as follows: 1. The internet shopping mall broadens the company's activity to new business areas. 2. The degree of system outsourcing of the small-medium size company depends on its IT ability and resource capability 3. The marketing strategies on their internet shopping mall differentiate with their business area and market environment. 4. Each interviewed company has its own success and failure factors, in addition to the general factors. 5. Each interviewed company has a positive response for their internet shopping mall for its future. 6. The lack of capital, technology, and government support is the barrier to the improvement of the internet shopping mall system.

중소기업의 경쟁력 강화의 한 대안으로서 인터넷 쇼핑몰의 중요성이 대두되고 있다. 본 연구는 중소기업의 인터넷 쇼핑몰에 대한 제반 환경을 체계적으로 조사하여, 중소기업 인터넷 쇼핑몰의 효과적인 운영을 위하여 고려하여야 할 요소들을 분석하는 데 그 주요 목적이 있다. 본 연구를 위해 인터넷 쇼핑몰을 실제로 운영하고 있는 6개 중소기업의 인터뷰를 통해 각 기업의 일반현황, 시스템환경, 진입 및 운영전략, 향후 기업 발전방향 등을 조사하고, 각 기업환경에 따라 구현되고 있는 인터넷 쇼핑몰의 성공 및 실패요인을 분석하여 보았다. 또한 본 연구에서는 쇼핑몰 구축의 2가지 차원 즉, 시스템 구축방법(자체개발/아웃소싱에 의한 개발) 및 쇼핑몰 진입유형(온라인 전문기업/오프라인 확장기업)으로 구분하여, 쇼핑몰 구축환경을 분류하는 맵을 도출하여 대상기업에 대한 추가적인 분석을 시도하여 보았다.