• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.1497-1508
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• 2008

The objective of this study is to identify the types of relationship quality of department store fashion consumers. This study also aims to look at if consumers form different type of relationship quality with various relation partners. In this study, qualitative research was conducted on 25 female consumers to come to a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of fashion consumers' diverse loyal relationships. Fashion consumer's relationship quality consisted of 'self attachment', 'symbolic', 'trust', 'intimacy', 'compensational bind', and 'habitual alternative'. 6 relationship quality dimensions were distinguished according to each dimension's emotional involvement level and conscious activeness level of consumers. While self attachment was classified as emotional and active relationship quality, compensational bind and habitual alternative were typical relationship quality types of fashion store loyalty such as department store loyalty, thus classified as inertial and cognitive relationship quality type. This study might provide a useful direction to apparel brands and retailers in finding out which relationship quality type is more effective for differentiated marketing strategies.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.81-101
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• 2021

Traditional department stores have been struggling to attract customers for several years. Many retail stores have closed in recent years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The reinvention of in-store shopping value and experience is imperative to attract customers and reinvigorate retail business. The purpose of this study was to discover which in-store components can improve customer experiences and loyalty while also identifying dissatisfaction issues in consumer experiences in department stores. The data was collected from two consumer groups-luxury department store (Selfridges) customers and mid-market department store (Debenhams) customers-to identify the types of value and experiences they seek most often. The findings showed that to enhance their store patronage, Debenhams should reposition their brand image in a way that allows customers to connect with their self-image and lifestyle by improving efficiency and convenience and prioritizing the utilitarian and social value types. By contrast, Selfridges should enhancetheir store atmosphere, visual merchandising and sensory experiences by maximizing slow retailing experiences and emphasizing the aspirational self-concept image for symbolic and hedonic value. This research uncovered the existence of numerous overlappingvalue dimensions, each of which contributed to the enhancement of the others. Several young customers expressed their support for ecologically responsible, cost-effective second-hand luxury products. Instead of focusing merely on conventional value dimensions, department retailers should determine how environmental and ethical objectives can be fulfilled. This study explained how department stores can craft their in-store environments to appeal to their customers' preferred value types to ensure success in a competitive market.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.7-17
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• 2020

Purpose - As the competition in the foodservice franchise industry and the market becomes fierce and the entry barrier is lowered, the foodservice franchisor and franchisees strive to increase their competitive advantage in the market. Therefore, the franchisor and franchisees use experience management strategies to enhance the positive experiences of customers visiting the stores. In this regard, this study examines the effects of customer-oriented activities (physical-, social-, health-, and service-oriented activities) on utilitarian and hedonic values, and loyalty using stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model and value-expectancy theory. Research design, data, methodology - The data were collected from panels of online survey company, who visited a foodservice franchisee within last month. The survey was conducted for about 15 days from March 7, 2019 to March 21, 2019, and about 3,500 e-mails and messages were distributed to ask for the survey. A total 412 responded and completed the questionnaires. Of the 412 completed questionaires, 12 were discarded due to missing and misinformation data and 400 were retained for further data analysis. Results --The results showed that social oriented activities, health oriented activities, and service oriented activities had positive effects on hedonic value, while physical oriented activities did not have a significant effect on hedonic value. Health oriented activities and service oriented activities had positive effects on utilitarian value, while physical oriented activities and social oriented activities had no significant effects on utilitarian value. Hedonic and utilitarian values also have a positive effect on loyalty. Conclusions - First, food service franchises should provide services and menus in consideration of the health of customers. When a customer visits the store, franchisee should provide more health-oriented food or materials and clean and comfortable conditions so as not to threaten the health of the customer. Second, the food service franchise must build a service-oriented system. Foodservice franchisor need to provide continuous service training not only to the franchisees, but also to the employees of the franchisees. Third, franchise should design a store where customers can form social exchanges through providing various information exchange to customers and making the store as a local community center.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.73-83
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• 2015

Purpose - Recently, many large retailers have been frequently purchasing commercial brands. Not only the quality of products purchased but also the brand images are of concern in this process. Based on this rising trend, commercial brands have become an important issue in the retail business world, along with increasing general interest as well. Thus, this study focuses on the factors affecting commercial brand images and clarifies the impact of the resulting factors as well. First, store images and familiarity, price sensitiveness, and knowledge are presented as the effect factors for commercial brands. Second, the study tries to clarify the effect of commercial brand image on the reliability and loyalty of customers. Research design, data, and methodology - To conduct the study methodology, 250 questionnaires were distributed to retailers who have used large discount stores located in Busan to purchase a commercial brand a total of 234 valid questionnaires were used in the final analysis. To verify the hypotheses, a structure equation formula using Amos 20.0 was calculated. First, prior to the verification of hypotheses, the reliability and feasibility of the questions were tested, and as a result, the value of Cronbach's alpha was higher than 0.7, thereby showing reliability. Additionally, for the verification of the feasibility of the questions, a confirmation factor analysis was implemented. Results - First, variances such as store images, familiarity, price sensitivity, and knowledge were presented as the factors of effect on commercial brands. As a result of the hypotheses verification, all the effect factors presented in this study were confirmed as important variables of commercial brand images. The hypotheses were drawn based on the studies relating to existing commercial brands, and thereby, a result similar to previous studies was produced. However, the effect factors of the commercial brand image presented in this study shaped a new study model based on the previous studies. Second, it was found that commercial brand images had positive effects on the reliability and loyalty of customers. This study presented reliability and loyalty as the resulting factors of commercial brand image because they are the most important factors in relation to customer behavior and variables that can suggest marketing points for distribution businesses. Conclusions - This study focused on clarifying the factors that are important effect factors for commercial brand images. As a result, all the hypotheses were confirmed in this study, indicating a meaningful result, and thereby suggesting many points that can be presented to distribution businesses. First, the proper strategies should be developed based on the hypothesis that a store image, the familiarity of customers with brands, and the price sensitiveness and knowledge level of customers have an important effect on the choice of commercial brands. Additionally, the formation of such favorable images will have positive effects not only in terms of customer trust in the commercial brands but also in terms of their loyalty.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.841-852
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences between the patronage consumers of the department stores and those of the non-patronage consumers in shopping orientation importance of the store attributes and self-image. Additionaly differences of the two groups are examined according to the demographic variables and the general apparel purchase behavior such as shopping frequency transportation etc,. The questionnaire were administered to 500 women living in Seoul and data were analyzed by frequency percentage factor analysis T-test and {{{{ chi ^2 }}-test. The results were as follows : 1) Significant differences were found in two groups according to shopping orientation. Namely the patronage consumers of the department stores enjoy shopping itself and have a tendency to purchase the clothing in vougue. Also they have more confidence in shopping and show higher store-loyalty that those of the non-partronage consumers. 2) Significant differences were found in two groups regarding importance of the store attributes. The patronage consumers of the department stores place more importance in information service/convenience provided by the department store than those of the non-patronage group while they less consider the product price and assortment. 3) The patronage consumers of the department stores pursue he self-image which reflects sexy and sophisticated image.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.5-14
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• 2011

One of the new roles of modern retail stores is to supply consumers with a memorable experience. In Korea, enhancing a store's environment so that customers remember a unique shopping experience is recognized as a sound strategy for strengthening the store's competitiveness. Motivated by this incentive, awareness of the experience-store concept is starting to increase in various categories of the retail industry. However, many experience stores, except in a few cases, have yet to derive a significant profit, explaining why Korean consumers are somewhat unfamiliar with, yet fascinated by, the experience stores that now exist in the country. Consumer satisfaction directly, and indirectly, affects a company's future profit and potential financial gain; customer satisfaction also affects loyalty. Therefore, knowing the significant factors that increase satisfaction and loyalty is essential for any company, in any field, to be able to effectively differentiate itself from the competition. Intrigued by increased competition opportunities, most Korean companies have adopted experience-store marketing strategies. When establishing the most effective processes for increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage of a new concept, companies should consider certain factors that influence consumers' ability to accept new concepts and ideas. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a theory that models how people accept new concepts. TAM proposes the following two factors that influence a person's decisions about how, and when, he or she will use a new product: "perceived usefulness" and "perceived ease of use." Much of the existing research has suggested that a person's character also affects the process for accepting new ideas. Such personal character attributes as individual preferences, self-confidence, and a person's values, traits, and/or skills affect the process for willingly consenting to try something new. It will be meaningful to establish how the TAM theory's components, as well as personal character, affect individuals accepting the experience-store concept. To that end, as it pertains to an experience store, the first goal of the study is to examine the influence of innovative factors (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) on satisfaction and loyalty. The second objective is to define the moderate effect of consumers' personal characteristics on the model. The proposed model was tested on 149 respondents who were engaged in leisure sports activities and bought sports outdoor garments and equipment. According to the study's findings, the satisfaction and loyalty of an experience store can be explained by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, with the study's results demonstrating the stronger of the two factors being "perceived ease of use." The study failed to explain the effects of a person's character on the model. In conclusion, when the companies that operate the experience stores execute their marketing and promotion strategies, they should stress the stores' "ease of use" product components. Additionally, it can be extrapolated from the study data that since the experience-store idea is still relatively unfamiliar to Korean consumers, most customers are not yet able to evaluate, nor take a position regarding, their respective attitudes toward experience stores.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2007

In this study, relationship model of relationship quality and loyalty for perceived service quality on department store is proposed and empirically tested. Service quality factors were defined as Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy. Relationship quality were defined as customers' overall satisfaction and customer trust. A LISREL model was used to develop dimensions of service quality and to investigate the structural relationship among perceived service quality, relationship quality(customer satisfaction and trust) and loyalty on department stores. The empirical results were as follows; First, Tangible, Responsiveness, Assurance and Empathy of service quality factors have a positive effect on customers' overall satisfaction. Second, customers' overall satisfaction have a positive effect on customer trust. Third, relationship quality have a positive effect on loyalty of customer; customers' overall satisfaction and customer trust have a positive effect on loyalty of customer. At the end of this paper, discussion, managerial implications, limitations and future research directions were suggested.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.1-30
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of self-image congruity and alternative attractiveness on commitment and store loyalty when customers purchase clothes in a department store. A survey was conducted for this study and 530 answer sheets were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results are as follows: First, self-image congruity has a significant positive effect on affective commitment and continuance commitment. Second, alternative attractiveness has no significant effect on affective and continuance commitment. Third, both affective commitment and continuance commitment have a significant effect on behavior intentions such as repurchase intention, word-of-mouth, and willing to pay more. Fourth, affective commitment has a stronger effect on word-of-mouth intention and willing to pay more than does continuance commitment. Finally, continuance commitment has a stronger effect on repurchase intention than does affective commitment.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.35-45
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• 2018

Purpose - This research aimed at exploring the mediation roles of the arousal and pleasure in the effects of the congruity between visual sensory cues of a retail store and consumers' self-image on the intent to reuse the store. Research design, data, and methodology - The data from 278 Chinese consumers who answered the questionnaire online were analyzed by using structural equation model of Amos 21.0 program to verify the hypotheses. Results - Store's visual sensory cues congruent with consumers' self-image directly affected the intention to reuse the store, and had positive impacts on both their arousal and pleasure states. The consumers' pleasure positively influenced on their intention, but their arousal did not influence on the intention. Consumers' pleasure played mediation roles in the effect of the congruity on the intention to reuse the store. Conclusions - Retail store marketers should pay attention to visual sensory cues to match the cues to consumers' self-image, when designing their store settings. When developing the cues, to help consumers feel pleasure which in turn, induces loyalty to their store, the marketers should develop the atmosphere setting in the respects of the congruity between the visual sensory cues and the self image.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.27-51
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• 2006

This study is to understand the existing relation-marketing based on a result that social-relationship in market can effect on customer's action with expanding the seller-purchaser relationship, and understanding purchaser-purchaser relationship in the community. The result of this study could be summarized as below: First, the customer-sales person friendly relationship effects respectively on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Second, friendly relationship of customers effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Third, customers' satisfaction and trust increases customers loyalty. Considering that they could cause others to re-buy, friendly word of mouth, recommendations, we should know improving customers loyalty about a company(department store) is very important. This study presents not only customers and sales clerks relationship but also developing customer-customer relationship is important as well. From the viewpoint, this study gives the following strategic tactics to companies. First, customer's relationship with sales clerk is not able to be built in a short time unlike discount or gifts. Second, relationship around customers effects on loyalty of the department store, over the relationship of simple customer-sales clerk. Finally, companies, to make a relationship like fabric, should escape a two-level channel, a company to a customer, then recognize a three-level channel, a company to a friendly customer to a neutral or a unfriendly customer. That means a business should use the positive to make the negative or the neutral change their behavior to it.