An Empirical Study on the Difference in Price Elasticity by Colors in the Chinese Mobile Phone Market

중국 핸드폰시장의 색상에 따른 가격탄력성 차이에 대한 실증연구

  • Received : 2018.06.04
  • Accepted : 2018.06.30
  • Published : 2018.06.30

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically analyze relations between color changes in the product specification and demand changes with price elasticity in the Chinese mobile phone market. In previous studies on price elasticity, the usual analysis units were product categories or SBU within a given product category. Unlike them, the this study set an analysis unit of price elasticity to focus on colors, which are investigated in the research fields of experiential marketing, aesthetic marketing, and cognitive psychology. Actual sales data according to the mobile phone price changes by the color were based on the sales volume of a sales agency at China's largest B2C site. The findings were as follows: first, price elasticity according to the six colors was higher than the absolute value of 1, which means that demands made flexible reactions to price changes. Secondly, there were differences in price elasticity according to the colors. Aroma white color made the smallest increase in sales volume at the same price discount, whereas diamond color made the biggest increase in sales in the same price discount scope. These findings indicate that more profit can be generated in mobile phone sales in China by setting different price discount or increase rates according to colors or producing different amounts of mobile phones according to colors. Distributors or sales agents can have a chance for higher profit by ordering and selling mobile phones in certain colors than others from mobile phone manufacturers. The academic findings indicates that there are differences in preference and price elasticity according to colors under the mobile phone category in the Chinese market, which means that the present study made an academic contribution by proposing a microscopic analysis unit for product price elasticity and expanding its concept.

본 연구는 중국 핸드폰 시장에서 특정 제품사양 중 색상변화와 그 제품의 수요변화와의 관계를 가격탄력성으로 실증 분석한 것이다. 기존 가격탄력성 연구의 분석단위는 제품 카테고리이거나 제품카테고리 내 SBU 를 주로 측정한 반면, 이 연구의 가격탄력성 분석단위는 체험마케팅, 미학마케팅, 인지심리학의 연구 대상인 색상에 초점을 맞추고 있다. 본 연구의 데이터는 중국 최대 B2C 사이트에 입점한 대리상이 다국적 기업의 핸드폰을 판매한 실적자료를 바탕으로 하였다. 연구결과를 보면, 첫째, 6 개 색상의 가격탄력성이 모두 절대 값 1 보다 커서 가격 변화에 수요가 탄력적으로 반응하는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 색상 간 가격 탄력성의 차이가 발생하였다. 동일한 가격인하 폭 속에서 가장 적은 판매량 증가를 보인 색은 아로마화이트인 반면에, 가장 많은 판매량 증가를 보인 색은 다이아몬드색이였다. 본 연구의 결과를 통해, 중국에서 핸드폰 판매 시 가격 할인인하 폭이나 인상폭을 색상에 따라 다르게 하거나, 기업에서 핸드폰 생산량을 색상에 따라 다르게 준비하여 판매하는 것이 더 많은 이익을 창출할 수 있게 됨을 알 수 있었다. 학술적으로는 중국의 핸드폰 제품 카테고리에 색상에 따른 선호 차이와 색상에 따른 가격탄력성이 다름을 파악함으로써 가격탄력성의 분석 단위의 미시화 및 개념 확장이라는 학술적 공헌이 있었다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Supported by : 경남과학기술대학교

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