초록
In this study, we used the Q methodology, which is considered an effective way to identify and assess the characterization of the human subjective consciousness, and we intended to carry out a scientific approach to classify cosmetics consumers in a department store. The purpose of this study is to identify the dimension of recognition and the characterization of Korean women who use a department store, as well as to classify cosmetics consumers in a department store. The analyzed data was divided into the top 10 questions and 10 sub-items, and it was then classified into six consumer types, depending on typicality of three factors. The three factors were 'effectiveness', 'goal' and 'congestion of shopping'. We named and analyzed the features of each type through in-depth Q workshops in which 22 professionals participated. This study is meaningful as it used the Q-methodology instead of statistics which had been used before to classify the consumers, so that the 'subjective' estimation was analyzed into 'objective' types. The results of this study are expected to be useful for creating a marketing strategy for the cosmetics industry.