Abstract
The purpose of this study is to understand and verify the incentives as an important market environment and to help consumers use them effectively, and consequently to improve the consumer welfare. This study examined the representative incentive, the sales promotions which can effect on the consumer decision making process and current issues of them. For the purpose, a coffee specialty store was hypothesized and the subjects were 20∼30 years old, since the sales promotions can be more effective toward the younger consumers making their decisions low-involvement goods and services. The conclusions can be summarized as follows; Consumers understand the advantages and disadvantages of sales promotion very well, and use them rationally and usefully to maximize their satisfaction. the sales promotions act as incentives in the all steps of decision making processes. Generally, consumers prefer to get things at a good price, so in this survey, the discount coupons and the point accumulative membership had more effect than others. Consumers pointed out controversial issues of the sales promotions as follows: the sales promotions could bring about cost rising and unnecessary and/or impulse buying, and stir up speculative motivation. These are common serious problems in the sales promotions. The sales promotions are very useful tools in promoting sales but not fundamental in the long run. Marketers and manufacturers should keep it in mind that the best way to satisfy the consumers is to keep all things in good quality and moderate price.