• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.73-92
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• 2009

Consumers influence other consumers' brand choice behavior by delivering a variety of objective or subjective information on a particular product, which is called WOM (Word-Of-Mouth) activities. For WOM activities, WOM senders should choose messages to deliver to other consumers. We classify the contents of the messages a consumer chooses for WOM delivery into two categories: Subjective (positive or negative) evaluation and objective information on products. In our study, we regard WOM senders' activities as a choice behavior and introduce a choice model to study the relationship between the choice of different WOM information (WOM with positive or negative subjective evaluation and WOM with objective information) and its influencing factors (information sources and consumer characteristics) by developing two bivariate Probit models. In order to consider the mediating effects of WOM senders' product involvement, product attitude, and their characteristics (gender and age), we develop three second-level models for the propagation of positive evaluations, of negative evaluations, and of objective information on products in an hierarchical Bayesian modeling framework. Our empirical results show that WOM senders' information choice behavior differs according to the types of information sources. The effects of information sources on WOM activities differ according to the types of WOM messages (subjective evaluation (positive or negative) and objective information). Therefore, our study concludes that WOM activities can be partially managed with effective communication plans influencing on consumers' WOM message choice behavior. The empirical results provide some guidelines for consumers' propagation of information on products companies want.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.193-207
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• 2008

This study analyzed the impact of the well-being trends and the attributes of the choice of the walnut-cookie on the consumer's purchasing intention. The results of this study would enhance newly revised product so that brand and product marketing strategy would be strengthened. This study also would contribute for the consumer related management through systematic and exploring research regarding consumers' expectation of products' values and trends. Specific results are as followings. Well-being oriented trends had various meanings such as "Commercial Well-being", "Eco-friendly Well-being", "Physical Well-being", and " Favors for leisure". Consumer's attributes of choice for the walnut-cookie were "Branding", "The Value of Traditional Food", "Environmental Position", and "The Function of Products". And the "Popularity", "Nutrition". and the "Service" were most preferred factors to be chosen. The multiple regression analysis was tried to test the impact of demographics, well-being trend, and the attributes of choice for walnut-cookie influence on the consumer's purchasing intention. The statistically significant factors were age, job, and leisure oriented consumer style of consumer's characteristics as well as corporation's brand strategy on a basis of marketing aspects. The younger groups, leisure pursing groups, and student groups showed the higher level of purchasing intention for the walnut-cookie compared to other groups.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.39-54
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• 2006

Marketing managers hope to maximize the success rate of new products by satisfying various needs of consumers. For this, an analysis called 'conjoint analysis' has been frequently applied in the process of new product development. This study was performed to compare the predictability of diverse conjoint analyses in choice of general hospitals. The comparison was performed among four models of traditional conjoint analysis and choice-based conjoint analysis. Results show that the hybrid conjoint analysis, which combined the traditional conjoint analysis and the choice-based conjoint model showed the highest predictive accuracy. Still two models show similar estimates of utility.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.83-105
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• 2013

During recent decades, the number of mixed attribute products (henceforth mixed products), which have both utilitarian and hedonic benefits, has increased dramatically. Despite these products' growing popularity, academic research has paid little attention to them, and there remains a gap between theory and the real world. Hence, our study was undertaken to understand consumers' perceptions about and behaviors toward mixed products, as well as factors affecting the evaluation and choice of these products. We divided mixed attribute products into two categories: mixed utilitarian products (utilitarian products adding hedonic attributes) and mixed hedonic products (hedonic products adding utilitarian attributes). We then showed how adding different attributes affects consumers' perception, willingness to pay (WTP), and the choice of mixed attribute products compared to pure utilitarian or pure hedonic products. We conducted an experiment using a within-subject design. A total of 160 office workers and college students participated in the study. The pure utilitarian product used in the study was orange juice, and the mixed utilitarian product was carbonated orange juice. The pure hedonic product was chocolate, and the mixed hedonic product was polyphenol enriched chocolate. Results showed that consumers perceived a mixed utilitarian product to be less utilitarian, less pleasurable and more guilty than a pure utilitarian product. On the other hand, a mixed hedonic product was perceived to be more utilitarian, less pleasurable and less guilty than a pure hedonic product. Also, WTP for a mixed hedonic product was higher than WTP for a pure hedonic product, but WTP was lower for a mixed utilitarian product than for a pure utilitarian product. Furthermore, mixed hedonic products were likely to be evaluated more favorably when they were presented together with pure hedonic products, more so than when they were presented alone. Finally, when compared to low self-control participants, high self-control participants chose mixed hedonic products more frequently. The present study contributes to the existing literature on utilitarian and hedonic consumption by adding to the sparse literature on the consumption of products that have both utilitarian and hedonic purposes. Also, our research findings provide several useful implications for practitioners in related fields. First, the current study provides marketers with a useful guide for understanding consumers' perceptions of these types of products, and helps to predict how adding different attributes influences these products. Second, this study has examined the conditions that may moderate the evaluation and choice of hedonic base products and this finding will serve as a good reference for marketers of mixed hedonic products in marketing communication strategy, in-store marketing and targeting. Specifically, comparative advertising with a pure hedonic product will be beneficial for a mixed hedonic product. Also, displaying mixed hedonic products near pure hedonic products may enhance the effectiveness of in-store marketing of mixed hedonic products.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2004

This research was accomplished to prove that the actual using conditions of the funtional bakery products would be different by their sex, age group and income, and what would be main factor to choose them. This survey was examened for 268 subjects by the self-administered questionnaire method. 37% of subjects used the funtional bakery products once or twice a week. They normally paid for them 1,000-3,000 won(40%). The biggest merit of the fuctional bakey products was good for health, but high price was the weekest point of them. Over 63% of subjects answered they had the will to use the new functinal bakery products if they would be developed. Mainly they got the information of functional procuts in bakery. Females paid more than males to buy them and had stronger will to use the new procuts. As the age increased, the using frequency of fuctional bakery products also increased. The expences to buy for them once and the will to use new products increased according to income increment. Females thought more important factors as price, taste, and color than males. Twenties and forties answered price was more important than thirties and fifties.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.506-512
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• 2011

Due to an overall increase of income, the general standard of living has improved and people have begun to be interested in being more healthy in their lives. This tendency has affected the food market, especially in relation to organic and eco-friendly food. Thus, the overall market size for those products has grown to give more choices to consumers. To examine the effect of the motive for choosing certain food products on the actual attitude and intent to purchase the products, a survey was given to 330 people living in Seoul, which resulted in 235 usable responses. The content of the questionnaire consisted of 18 questions on food choice motives, 3 questions on the attitude toward organic foods and 3 questions on the intention of purchasing for organic foods. The SPSS 12.0 statistics program was used to analyze of following: frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, t-test, one way ANOVA and regression analysis. Five factors of food choice motives were obtained from the analysis: health, convenience, price, familiarity and environmental protection. The regression analysis showed that food choice motive, health and environmental protection factors have a positive relationship with organic food attitudes and organic food attitudes have a positive relationship with the intent to purchase organic food.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.65-81
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• 2020

Purpose - This research aims to investigate how consumers' eco-friendly product choice ratio changes as the benefits of eco-friendly products are framed as (1) non-monetary benefits, (2) monetary gain integrated with the loss or (3) monetary gain segregated from the loss. Design/methodology/approach - A mixed-design, scenario-based choice experiment was conducted. A series of chi-square tests and residual analyses were conducted to analyze the data. Findings - When the monetary gain was larger or slightly smaller than the loss, the participants' eco-friendly product choice ratio was higher when the monetary gain was integrated with the loss than those in the other two conditions. When the monetary gain was significantly smaller than the loss, the participants' eco-friendly product choice ratio was lower when the monetary gain was integrated with the loss than those in the other conditions. The ratio did not differ between the latter two conditions. Research implications or Originality - This research shows that marketers should frame the benefits of eco-friendly products and their costs in different manners depending on the relative magnitudes of them. This research also complements the existing literature by comparing the effectiveness of non-monetary framing of eco-friendly product benefits with that of monetary framing following hedonic editing hypothesis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 2022

This study identifies the perceptions and choice attributes toward plant-based foods and identifies the differences between vegetarians and omnivores. We conducted an online survey of 245 vegetarians and 246 omnivores. The results reveal a significant difference between vegetarians and omnivores. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians perceived that plant-based food products would be 'good taste', 'animal-friendly', and 'consistent with their personal value'. Omnivore scores were higher in the perception that it would be 'good for health' and 'environment-friendly'. No statistically significant difference was obtained between both diet groups when considering the factor of nutrition. When considering choice as an attribute for plant-based food products, vegetarians responded that 'ingredients' were the most important, while omnivores responded that 'taste' was the most important. These results can be used as basic data for developing and promoting plant-based food products in South Korea.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.79-91
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• 2015

Purpose - First, the study identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to health foods and supplements. Second, it identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to the properties of Vitamin C supplements. Third, in order to provide a basic data for the development of Vitamin C supplements and to measure how consumers value the properties of different Vitamin C products, a consumer survey was conducted through the choice-based conjoint model. Based on the results, the research estimates consumers' relative product-related priorities as well as price levels and willingness to pay (WTP) for different product types, and makes suggestions regarding consumer-oriented new product development and progressive directions for the successful launch of health foods and supplements. Research design, data, and methodology - This study aims to define the attributes of health foods and supplements based on several characteristics including their natural ingredients, product price, product originality, natural ingredient content, and additional functional ingredients, and makes suggestions regarding strategic market pricing and product development for health foods and supplements according to customer attitudes and characteristics. The research used choice-based conjoint analysis methodology based on the Multinomial Logic Model and collected 94 questionnaires filled out by users of Korean Vitamin C supplements. Results - Product price is the most influential factor among the five analyzed properties. When consumers buy Vitamin C products, the relative significance level of four of the examined properties is as follows: 40.9% for product price, 23.3% for product originality, 21.9% for natural ingredient content, and 13.9% for additional functional ingredients. Vitamin C content is excluded as it is not a statistically significant factor. It is interesting that supplement manufacturers and retailers consider Vitamin C content to be very important whereas consumers do not regard it as an important factor at the time of purchase. The results for the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for each property of Vitamin C supplements show that consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,146 Korean won for a 50% increase in the natural ingredient content. With regard to product originality, consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,301 Korean won for products manufactured in Europe than for products manufactured in China. Moreover, consumers show a greater preference for products manufactured in Korea than in Europe. However, consumers are not willing to pay more for additional Vitamin C or additional functional ingredients added to Vitamin C products. Conclusions - According to the results of consumer research on Vitamin C supplements, which represent a popular health food supplement in Korea, most Korean health food and supplement companies are not consumer- or market-oriented when developing new products. Companies gather information from either R&D specialists or sales managers and their opinions are highly reflected in new product development. The study's results will help companies recognize the importance of understanding consumers' unmet needs in advance to develop new products in the future.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.97-125
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• 2012

Companies recently introduce art collaborated products incorporating culture into a product. Art collaborated products include incorporating famous movies and/or design of an artist into a newly launched product. The introduction of art collaborated products are gradually increasing. However, research for this trend is relatively scarce. Although research concerning design has discussed a number of different factors as playing a role in influencing responses to design including culture, fashion, innate preferences, etc.), only limited attention has been paid to the processes by which consumers generate responses to product designs. People with different characteristics may respond differently. When people encounter these art products, they may become curious, may think that these products are unique, novel and innovative. People tend to show different levels of curiosity when they encounter new and novel objects, which they have rarely seen or experienced. Curiosity is defined as a desire for acquiring new knowledge and new sensory experience. Previous studies demonstrated that curiosity motivates individuals to engage in exploratory behaviors. People also show different levels of need for uniqueness, which is defined as being different from others or becoming distinctive among a larger group. Individual's need for uniqueness results from signals conveyed by the material objects that individuals choose to display. Recently, researcher have developed the need for uniqueness with three distinct constructs. These three concepts include creative choice, unpopular choice, and avoidance of similarity. Creative choice is a trait tendency of an individual by expressing or differentiating himself from others through consumptions of unique products. Unpopular choice is related to an individual's tendency to consume products, which deviates from group norms. Avoidance of similarity is linked to the avoidance of consumption behavior of products that are not famous. Past research implies that people with different levels of need for uniqueness show different motivational processes. Previous research also demonstrates that different customer emotions may be derived when consumers are exposed to these art collaborated products. Research tradition has been investigated three different emotional responses such as pleasure, arousal, and dominance. Pleasure is defined as the degree to which a person feels good, joyful, happy, or satisfied in a situation. Arousal is defined as the extent to which a person feels stimulated, active, or excited. Dominance is defined as the extent that a person feels powerful vis-a-vis the environment that surrounds him/her. Previous research show that complex, speedy, and surprising stimuli may excite consumers and thus make them more pleased and engaged in their approach behavior. However, the current study identified these emotional responses as positive emotion, negative emotion, and arousal. These derived emotions may lead consumers to approach and/or avoidance behaviors. In addition, males and females tend to respond differently when they are exposed to art collaboration products. Building on this research tradition, the current study aims to investigate the inter-relationships between individual traits such as curiosity and need for uniqueness and individual's emotional responses including positive and negative emotion and arousal when people encounter various art collaborated products. Emotional responses are proposed to influence purchase intention. Additionally, previous studies show that male and females respond differently to similar stimuli. Accordingly, gender difference are proposed to moderate the links between individual traits and emotional responses. These research aims of the current study may contribute to extending our knowledge in terms of (1) which individual characteristics are related to different emotions, and (2) how these different emotional responses inter-connected to future purchase intention of arts collaborated products. In addition, (3) the different responses to these arts collaborated products by males and females will guide managers how to concoct different strategies to these segments. The questionnaire for the present study was adopted from the previous literature and validated with a pilot test. The survey was conducted in Daegu, a third largest city in South Korea, for three weeks during June and July 2011. Most respondents were in their twenties and thirties. 350 questionnaires were distributed and among them 300 were proved to be valid (valid response rate of 85.7%). Survey questionnaires from valid 300 respondents are used to test hypotheses proposed. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to validate the research model. The measurement and structural model was tested using LISREL 8.7. The measurement model test demonstrated that consistency, convergent validity, and discriminat validity of the measurement items were acceptable. The results from the structural model demonstrate that curiosity has a positive impact on positive emotion, but not on negative emotion and arousal. Need for uniqueness has three different sub-concepts such as creative choice, unpopular choice, and avoidance of similarity. The results show that creative choice has a positive effect on arousal and positive emotion, but has a negative impact on negative emotion. Unpopular choice has a positive effect on arousal, but on neither positive nor negative emotions. Avoidance of similarity has no impact on neither emotions nor arousal. The results also demonstrated that gender has a moderating influence. Males show more negative emotion to creative and unpopular choices. Implications and future research directions are discussed in conclusion.