• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.1-18
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• 2012

With the enormous growth and various applications of private brands, national brand manufacturers are confronted with a dilemmatic situation. That is, paradoxically, some manufacturers have come to produce private brands of retailers which are potential competitors to their own brands. This study reveals why manufacturers with their own brands let themselves do the consignment production of retailers' private brands although those private brands may become strong competitors of their own brands and then investigates the condition in which manufacturers may benefit from such consignment production. Through an analysis of a game theoretical model assuming a monopoly market, the present study presents the theoretical backgrounds and provides new insights about consignment production of manufacturer with its own brand for retailer's private brand. First, such consignment production can play a role in mitigating the loss in the consignee manufacturer's own brand sales caused by the private brand in the competitive environment. Second, the effectiveness of such role is affected by the quality of the private brand produced under consignment. In other word, only if the consignee manufacturer keeps the quality of the private brand low, the manufacturer can maintain the benefit from its own brand. In addition, a consigner retailer needs to consider the final objective of launching its private brand, when it chooses its consignee manufacturer of the brand. Finally, a manufacturer with its own brand may consider consignment production as not merely an unavoidable option compelled by a retailer's power but a reasonable strategic choice to reduce the risk from competition.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.11-20
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• 2024

Purpose: This study focuses on the Chinese smartphone market to estimate product attributes influencing Chinese customers' preference for developing new smartphones through conjoint analysis. Research design, data and methodology: The online questionnaire survey is processed among Chinese potential smartphone customers. Conjoint analysis including traditional conjoint analysis (TCA) and choice-based conjoint analysis (CBCA), is used to analyze the useful data of 500. Results: Results indicate that price is the most important predictor while screen size is the least for Chinese customers' preference whether the method is TCA or CBCA. However, the importance of brand, capacity, CPU, and screen design is different. Moreover, based on each smartphone attribute level's utility, the new products with the best combinations are different compared with both methods. Finally, the predicted market shares of the top 3 products are the same with maximum utility rule model between TCA and CBCA. However, when considering with the new best combined product, they are significantly different. Conclusions: Managers should recognize the differences between TCA and CBCA and select the best method to develop new smartphones for sustainable business in the Chinese competitive market based on the important attributes of price, brand, capacity, CPU, screen design, and size.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.583-591
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the sportswear purchase decision factors and brand preference of college students. The subjects in this study were 614 college students who were selected by cluster random sampling from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. The collected data were analyzed by crosstab analysis, and the findings of the study were as follows: If a sportswear company has college students as a target market, first, the company needs to consider design and utility. Second, the company needs to expand internet sale while maintaining a strategy for centering on speciality shop and department store as for a sale of sportswear. Third, the college students themselves have a right of choice according to purchasing sportswear. Thus, a distribution company requires a direct marketing strategy targeting college students. Fourth, simple design of adding a fashion trend is needed. Fifth, the sportswear company needs to expand production and sale in jumpers and trousers based on T-shirts. Sixth, color in sportswear needs to be composed of design based on gray or black color. In order for a sportswear company to be adjusted to the global market environment here after, it requires an effort to continuously grasp consumers' trend and to apply new design and color. Also, the company will be able to be equipped with competitive edge by producing diversely functional products that are demanded by the segmented market.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.191-212
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• 2012

With the introduction of the Capital Market Integration Act in 2009, the new competitive scope and paradigm is opened in Korean financial services market. The change of financial industry and institutions will lead to the behavioral change of customers who consume and choose financial services. While researches from the financial perspective have been conducted, works from the marketing or customer oriented approach has long been relatively ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate influencing factors and process of financial services customers' choice behavior. More specifically, the main theme is how to enhance customer brand loyalty and purchase intention through the perception of overall quality of the service product. An integrated conceptual model including antecedents, mediating variables and consequences is established through comprehensive literature reviews of extant works on environmental change, customer behavioral change and choice behaviors. Hypothesis testing is done with SEM analysis. According to the results, the attractiveness of financial product, the reputation of financial firm, and self-brand image congruence among exogenous variables make a positive effect on perceived overall quality. And perceived overall quality has a significant effect on brand loyalty.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.41-70
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• 2003

Many researches on brand equity have been focused in definition about it, factors of it, and the process of formation. Most of them have been used by voluntary production category, as is durable goods or nondurable goods. But this study, using the model is developed by Foote, Cone & Be1ding(FCB) Company, classified four fields, high-low involvement, rationality(rational or sensitive) involvement. The selected goods is a sensitive high involvement(casual wear). This study investigate the effects of brand equity and search the influences of brand equity formation according to factors of marketing mix. To this goals, this study kept a literature survey and a demonstrative research. In literature survey, there are several definitions of brand and brand equity. The research model is derived from selected factors of marketing mix and former study. This study used the regression analysis to verify effects from brand equity through the selected marketing mix. The research data is collected from the capital area. The focus of this study is effects of brand equity according to marketing mix. The followings are results and suggestions of this study. First, in the price factors, the affirmative effects are revealed the perceived quality and the brand awareness in a rational high involvement goods, the perceived quality and the brand associations in a sensitive high involvement goods, all factors of brand equity in a rational low involvement goods, and the perceived quality in a sensitive low involvement goods. As summary, the important characteristics is the price factors to consumers, and consumers recognize that a high price means a high quality. Second, in the store image factors, the affirmative effects are revealed all brand equity factors in a rational high involvement and a sensitive high-low involvement. A good store image incites more interest, contact, and visit from potential consumer. And such store offers more consumer satisfaction, simulates more active and positive conversation to consumers. Third, in advertising spending factors, the affirmative effects are revealed the brand awareness and associations in a rational high involvement and a sensitive high involvement, all brand equity factors in a rational low involvement and a sensitive low involvement. An advertisement increases not only a brand awareness but also strong brand associations. Forth, in price promotion factors, the affirmative effects are revealed the brand associations in a rational high involvement, the negative effects are revealed all brand equity in sensitive high involvement. According the result about the effects of brand royalty through the brand equity factors, a perceived quality and brand associations have positive effects to brand royalty in all factors. Consumers choice a deep perceived quality than other competitive brand. So, brand equity will increase according to a qualitative grade of a perceived brand by consumers. Brand associations represent a quality and a degree of involvement. In conclusion, brand associations and equity have a positive relation each other. According to the analysis results about a brand royalty of selected marketing mix factors, the affirmative effects are revealed the store image and price promotion factors in a rational high involvement, the price and store image in a sensitive high involvement, and the price and advertising spending in a rational low involvement. The results about the affect of selected marketing mix factors according to brand equity, are the perceived quality in a high involvement, and all brand equity factors in a low involvement. The affirmative effects about a store image are revealed all equity factors in high-low involvement. In advertising spending factors, the affirmative effects are revealed the brand awareness and associations in a high involvement goods, and the perceived quality and the brand awareness in a low involvement goods. In price promotion factors, the affirmative effects are revealed the brand awareness in a low involvement goods, and the negative effects are revealed the brand awareness in a high involvement goods. According to a degree of involvement, the results of a brand royalty through a brand equity factors are following. The affirmative effects are revealed the perceived quality and the brand royalty in a high involvement goods, and the brand awareness are revealed a negative effect. The affirmative effects are revealed the perceived Quality and the brand associations in a low involvement goods. So, in a high involvement goods, the brand royalty is built by strong brand associations, but, in a low involvement goods, the brand royalty is built also by a perceived Quality and a brand awareness. This study have some concept of limitation. So, this study presents a future direction of research. First, a future study has to have more deep analysis for this study analyzed through a limited marketing mix factors. Second, a future research has to get mutual effects about brand equity of marketing mix factors for this study has an individual marketing decision factors. Third, for the future, a brand equity needs a research about a several goods such as services, profit or nonprofit, industrial products, culture, and so on. Forth, the research have to diversify a various data for population.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.851-860
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• 2024

This study analyzes the impact of online streaming services, particularly Over The Top (OTT) services, on consumer media consumption patterns in the digital age. It examines how consumer-centric service values affect OTT platform choice, consumer satisfaction, and brand loyalty, focusing on various factors such as content diversity, ease of use, affordability, brand awareness, and personalized services. The findings reveal that content diversity, ease of use, and affordability are significant factors positively influencing consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty, thereby motivating OTT platform selection. Contrary to expectations, personalized services did not have a significant impact. This research provides critical insights for OTT service providers to enhance consumer-centric values and develop competitive service strategies.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.83-98
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• 2012

In a market where new and used cars are competing with each other, we would run the risk of obtaining biased estimates of cross elasticity between them if we focus on only new cars or on only used cars. Unfortunately, most of previous studies on the automobile industry have focused on only new car models without taking into account the effect of used cars' pricing policy on new cars' market shares and vice versa, resulting in inadequate prediction of reactive pricing in response to competitors' rebate or price discount. However, there are some exceptions. Purohit (1992) and Sullivan (1990) looked into both new and used car markets at the same time to examine the effect of new car model launching on the used car prices. But their studies have some limitations in that they employed the average used car prices reported in NADA Used Car Guide instead of actual transaction prices. Some of the conflicting results may be due to this problem in the data. Park (1998) recognized this problem and used the actual prices in his study. His work is notable in that he investigated the qualitative effect of new car model launching on the pricing policy of the used car in terms of reinforcement of brand equity. The current work also used the actual price like Park (1998) but the quantitative aspect of competitive price promotion between new and used cars of the same model was explored. In this study, I develop a model that assumes that the cross elasticity between new and used cars of the same model is higher than those amongst new cars and used cars of the different model. Specifically, I apply the nested logit model that assumes the car model choice at the first stage and the choice between new and used cars at the second stage. This proposed model is compared to the IIA (Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives) model that assumes that there is no decision hierarchy but that new and used cars of the different model are all substitutable at the first stage. The data for this study are drawn from Power Information Network (PIN), an affiliate of J.D. Power and Associates. PIN collects sales transaction data from a sample of dealerships in the major metropolitan areas in the U.S. These are retail transactions, i.e., sales or leases to final consumers, excluding fleet sales and including both new car and used car sales. Each observation in the PIN database contains the transaction date, the manufacturer, model year, make, model, trim and other car information, the transaction price, consumer rebates, the interest rate, term, amount financed (when the vehicle is financed or leased), etc. I used data for the compact cars sold during the period January 2009- June 2009. The new and used cars of the top nine selling models are included in the study: Mazda 3, Honda Civic, Chevrolet Cobalt, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Jetta, Nissan Sentra, and Kia Spectra. These models in the study accounted for 87% of category unit sales. Empirical application of the nested logit model showed that the proposed model outperformed the IIA (Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives) model in both calibration and holdout samples. The other comparison model that assumes choice between new and used cars at the first stage and car model choice at the second stage turned out to be mis-specfied since the dissimilarity parameter (i.e., inclusive or categroy value parameter) was estimated to be greater than 1. Post hoc analysis based on estimated parameters was conducted employing the modified Lanczo's iterative method. This method is intuitively appealing. For example, suppose a new car offers a certain amount of rebate and gains market share at first. In response to this rebate, a used car of the same model keeps decreasing price until it regains the lost market share to maintain the status quo. The new car settle down to a lowered market share due to the used car's reaction. The method enables us to find the amount of price discount to main the status quo and equilibrium market shares of the new and used cars. In the first simulation, I used Jetta as a focal brand to see how its new and used cars set prices, rebates or APR interactively assuming that reactive cars respond to price promotion to maintain the status quo. The simulation results showed that the IIA model underestimates cross elasticities, resulting in suggesting less aggressive used car price discount in response to new cars' rebate than the proposed nested logit model. In the second simulation, I used Elantra to reconfirm the result for Jetta and came to the same conclusion. In the third simulation, I had Corolla offer $1,000 rebate to see what could be the best response for Elantra's new and used cars. Interestingly, Elantra's used car could maintain the status quo by offering lower price discount ($160) than the new car ($205). In the future research, we might want to explore the plausibility of the alternative nested logit model. For example, the NUB model that assumes choice between new and used cars at the first stage and brand choice at the second stage could be a possibility even though it was rejected in the current study because of mis-specification (A dissimilarity parameter turned out to be higher than 1). The NUB model may have been rejected due to true mis-specification or data structure transmitted from a typical car dealership. In a typical car dealership, both new and used cars of the same model are displayed. Because of this fact, the BNU model that assumes brand choice at the first stage and choice between new and used cars at the second stage may have been favored in the current study since customers first choose a dealership (brand) then choose between new and used cars given this market environment. However, suppose there are dealerships that carry both new and used cars of various models, then the NUB model might fit the data as well as the BNU model. Which model is a better description of the data is an empirical question. In addition, it would be interesting to test a probabilistic mixture model of the BNU and NUB on a new data set.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.247-269
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• 2007

In recent years, one of the major reasons for the fierce competition amongst firms is that they strive to increase their own market shares and customer acquisition rate in the same market with similar and apparently undifferentiated products in terms of quality and perceived benefit. Because of this change in recent marketing environment, the differentiated after-sales service and diversified promotion strategies have become more important to gain competitive advantage. Price promotion is the favorite strategy that most retailers use to achieve short-term sales increase, induce consumer's brand switch, in troduce new product into market, and so forth. However, if marketers apply or copy an identical price promotion strategy without considering the characteristic differences in product and consumer preference, it will cause serious problems because discounted price itself could make people skeptical about product quality, and the changes of perceived value might appear differently depending on other factors such as consumer involvement or brand attitude. Previous studies showed that price promotion would certainly increase sales, and the discounted price compared to regular price would enhance the consumer's perceived values. On the other hand, discounted price itself could make people depreciate or skeptical about product quality, and reduce the consumers' positivity bias because consumers might be unsure whether the current price promotion is the retailer's best price offer. Moreover, we cannot say that discounted price absolutely enhances the consumer's perceived values regardless of product category and purchase situations. That is, the factors that affect consumers' value perceptions and buying behavior are so diverse in reality that the results of studies on the same dependent variable come out differently depending on what variable was used or how experiment conditions were designed. Majority of previous researches on the effect of price-comparison advertising have used consumers' buying behavior as dependent variable. In order to figure out consumers' buying behavior theoretically, analysis of value perceptions which influence buying intentions is needed. In addition, they did not combined the independent variables such as brand loyalty and price discount rate together. For this reason, this paper tried to examine the moderating effect of brand loyalty on relationship between the different levels of discounting rate and buyers' value perception. And we provided with theoretical and managerial implications that marketers need to consider such variables as product attributes, brand loyalty, and consumer involvement at the same time, and then establish a differentiated pricing strategy case by case in order to enhance consumer's perceived values properl. Three research concepts were used in our study and each concept based on past researches was defined. The perceived acquisition value in this study was defined as the perceived net gains associated with the products or services acquired. That is, the perceived acquisition value of the product will be positively influenced by the benefits buyers believe they are getting by acquiring and using the product, and negatively influenced by the money given up to acquire the product. And the perceived transaction value was defined as the perception of psychological satisfaction or pleasure obtained from taking advantage of the financial terms of the price deal. Lastly, the brand loyalty was defined as favorable attitude towards a purchased product. Thus, a consumer loyal to a brand has an emotional attachment to the brand or firm. Repeat purchasers continue to buy the same brand even though they do not have an emotional attachment to it. We assumed that if the degree of brand loyalty is high, the perceived acquisition value and the perceived transaction value will increase when higher discount rate is provided. But we found that there are no significant differences in values between two different discount rates as a result of empirical analysis. It means that price reduction did not affect consumer's brand choice significantly because the perceived sacrifice decreased only a little, and customers are satisfied with product's benefits when brand loyalty is high. From the result, we confirmed that consumers with high degree of brand loyalty to a specific product are less sensitive to price change. Thus, using price promotion strategy to merely expect sale increase is not recommendable. Instead of discounting price, marketers need to strengthen consumers' brand loyalty and maintain the skimming strategy. On the contrary, when the degree of brand loyalty is low, the perceived acquisition value and the perceived transaction value decreased significantly when higher discount rate is provided. Generally brands that are considered inferior might be able to draw attention away from the quality of the product by making consumers focus more on the sacrifice component of price. But considering the fact that consumers with low degree of brand loyalty are known to be unsatisfied with product's benefits and have relatively negative brand attitude, bigger price reduction offered in experiment condition of this paper made consumers depreciate product's quality and benefit more and more, and consumer's psychological perceived sacrifice increased while perceived values decreased accordingly. We infer that, in the case of inferior brand, a drastic price-cut or frequent price promotion may increase consumers' uncertainty about overall components of product. Therefore, it appears that reinforcing the augmented product such as after-sale service, delivery and giving credit which is one of the levels consisting of product would be more effective in reality. This will be better rather than competing with product that holds high brand loyalty by reducing sale price. Although this study tried to examine the moderating effect of brand loyalty on relationship between the different levels of discounting rate and buyers' value perception, there are several limitations. This study was conducted in controlled conditions where the high involvement product and two different levels of discount rate were applied. Given the presence of low involvement product, when both pieces of information are available, it is likely that the results we have reported here may have been different. Thus, this research results explain only the specific situation. Second, the sample selected in this study was university students in their twenties, so we cannot say that the results are firmly effective to all generations. Future research that manipulates the level of discount along with the consumer involvement might lead to a more robust understanding of the effects various discount rate. And, we used a cellular phone as a product stimulus, so it would be very interesting to analyze the result when the product stimulus is an intangible product such as service. It could be also valuable to analyze whether the change of perceived value affects consumers' final buying behavior positively or negatively.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to categorize the gap between coffee shop 'importance' (as perceived by customers before patronizing the coffee shop) and 'satisfaction' (perception of customers after patronizing the coffee shop) as positive or negative and to analyze the effect of these gaps on purchasing behavior. To do this, I used the gap between importance and satisfaction regarding the choice of a coffee shop as the explanatory variable and performed an empirical analysis of the direction and size of the effect of the gap on purchasing behavior (overall satisfaction, willingness-to-revisit) by applying the Ordered Probit Model (OPM). A previous study that used IPA to evaluate the effects of gaps estimated the direction and size of a quadrant but failed to analyze the effect of gaps on customers. In this study, I evaluated the effects of positive and negative gaps on customer satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Using OPM, I quantified the effect of positive and negative gaps on overall customer satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Per-head expenditure, frequency of visits, and coffee-purchasing place had the most positive effects on overall customer satisfaction. Frequency of visits, followed by per-head expenditure and then coffee-purchasing place, had the most positive impact on willingness-to-visit. Thus per-head expenditure and frequency of visits had the greatest positive effects on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. This finding implies that the higher the actual satisfaction (gap) of customers who spend KRW5,000 or more once or more per week at coffee shops is, the higher their overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit are. Despite the fact that economical efficiency had a significant effect on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit, college and university students still use coffee shops and are willing to spend KRW5,000 because they do not only purchase coffee as a product itself, but use the coffee shop for other activities, such as working, meeting friends, or relaxing. College and university students also access the Internet in coffee shops via personal laptops, watch movies, and study; thus, coffee shops should provide their customers with the appropriate facilities and services. The fact that a positive gap for coffee shop brand had a positive effect on willingness-to-revisit implies that the higher the level of customer satisfaction, the greater the willingness-to-revisit. A negative gap for this factor, on the other hand, implies that the lower the level of customer satisfaction, the lower the willingness-to-revisit. Thus, the brand factor has a comparatively greater effect on satisfaction than the other factors evaluated in this study. Given that the domestic coffee culture is becoming more upscale and college/university students are sensitive to this trend, students are attentive to brands. In most upscale coffee shops in Korea, the outer wall is built out of glass that can be opened, the interiors are exotic with an open kitchen. These upscale coffee shops function as landmarks and match the taste of college/university students. Coffee shops in Korea have become a cultural brand. To make customers feel that coffee shops are upscale, good quality establishments and measures to provide better services in terms of brand factor should be instituted. The intensified competition among coffee shop brands in Korea as a result of the booming industry indicates that provision of additional services is needed to differentiate competitors. These customers can also use a scanner free of charge. Another strategy that can be used to boost brands could be to provide and operate a seminar room for seminars and group study. If coffee shops adopt these types of strategies, college/university students would be more likely to consider the expenses they incur worthwhile and, subsequently, they would be more likely to be satisfied with the brands of these coffee shops, with an associated increase in their willingness-to-revisit. Gender and study year had the most negative effects on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Female students were more likely to be satisfied and be willing to return than male students, and third and fourth-year students were more likely to be satisfied and willing-to-return than first or second-year students. Students who drink coffee, read books, and use laptops alone at coffee shops are easily noticeable. High-grade students tend to visit coffee shops alone in order to use their time efficiently for self-development and to find jobs. The economical efficiency factor had the greatest effect on overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit in terms of a positive gap. The higher the actual satisfaction (gap) of students with the price of the coffee, the greater their overall satisfaction and willingness-to-revisit. Economical efficiency with a negative gap had a negative effect on willingness-to-revisit, which implies that a less negative gap will result in a greater willingness-to-revisit. Amid worsening market conditions, coffee shops located around colleges/universities are using strategies, such as a point or membership card, strategic alliances with credit-card companies, development of a set menu or seasonal menu, and free coffee-shot services to increase their competitive edge. Product power also had a negative effect in terms of a negative gap, which indicates that a higher negative gap will result in a lower willingness-to-revisit. Because there are many more customers that enjoy coffee in this decade, as compared to previous decades, the new generation of customers, namely college/university students, want various menu items in addition to coffee, and coffee shops should, therefore, add side menu items, such as waffles, rice cakes, cakes, sandwiches, and salads. For example, Starbucks Korea is making efforts to enhance product power by selling rice cakes flavored in strawberry, wormwood, and pumpkin, and providing coffee or cream free of charge. In summary, coffee shops should focus on increasing their economical efficiency, brand, and product power to enhance the satisfaction of college/university students. Because shops adjacent to colleges or universities enjoy a locational advantage, providing differentiated services in terms of economical efficiency, brand, and product power, is likely to increase customer satisfaction and return visits. Coffee shop brands should, therefore, be innovative and embrace change to meet their customers' desires. Because this study only targeted college/university students in Seoul, comparative studies targeting diverse regions and age groups are required to generalize the findings and recommendations of this study.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.191-209
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• 2011

In a buyer-seller transaction process, 'value for money,' a measure of quality-price-ratio, is one of the most important criteria for buyers' purchasing decisions. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a method which helps online shoppers choose the best of several sellers offering homogeneous goods. We suggest FDH (free disposal hull) model, an applied model of data envelopment analysis (DEA), for online buyer-seller transactions and verify it with the data from an Internet comparison shopping site. For this purpose, we analyze consumer choice behaviors by examining how consumers respond to different sale conditions such as price, brand, or delivery time. Then, we implement a seller recommendation system to support buyers' purchasing decisions. We expect our FDH model to provide valuable information for rational buyers who want to pay the least price for high quality products/services and to be used in implementing automated evaluation processes in micro transactions. Moreover, we expect that our results can be utilized for sellers' benchmarking strategies which help sellers be more competitive by showing them how to attract buyers.