• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2004

As the dot-com companies realize the importance of the traditional business operations such as product distribution and sourcing, the task of balancing business strategy and operations between electronic commerce and"bricks St mortar"channels is an ongoing challenge. However, there are no generic recipes for formulating business strategy that optimally bridges the physical and virtual operations. In order to provide some guidelines, this study examines the big 3 retailers in Korea, and their"clicks ＆ mortar"strategy, assessing how the activities of each channel are integrated to achieve the synergy effect. This study analyzes the differences in the pattern of integration among the three retailers and traces the causes of those differences. It also figures out the relationship between the degree of integration and performance variables such as growth and cost. Finally. it defines the essential constraints on the process of integration along with managerial implications.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.51-60
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• 2020

Purpose: Recently, Korean cosmetics distribution market has been reorganized with the H&B store. In the domestic cosmetics distribution market, existing brand road shops are decreasing, and multi-shops are leading the H & B stores, which have greatly improved their experience and content. In these environmental changes, the offline distribution channels are turning into the multi-editing shops that have introduced products of various brands and greatly enhanced experiences and contents. Nevertheless, most studies of factors and measurement items for measuring customer experience in the H&B store use Schmitt (1999)'s Strategic Experience Modules (SEMs). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose a measure that is practicable through consideration of the in-store customer experience components of the H&B store. Research design, data and methodology: Based on Schmitt's Strategic Experience Modules (SEMs), which are widely used in customer experience marketing, the metric pool was constructed through customer and literature research on H & B store managers. Since then, 101 preliminary surveys and 211 main surveys have been conducted in order to propose a dimension of customer experience and refine the metrics. Results: As a result of the research, H&B store's customer experience was derived from a measurement model consisting of 19 measurement items in total of five dimensions: environmental experience, intellectual experience, behavioral experience, tech experience, and relationship experience. This study analyzed that compared to the existing Schmitt's Strategic Experience Modules (SEMs), (1) emotional experience expanded to environmental experience, (2) Cognitive and relationship experiences are maintained (3) behavioral experience was subdivided into physical and technical experiences. In particular, the environmental experience has been proposed as a major component is an important point because the H&B store recently opened a large flagship store and is competitive in constructing a differentiated space. Conclusions: Related experience was seen as an important component of customer experience in the offline store, but in the process of refining the scale, interaction items with employees of the H&B store were removed, and rather, participation in the APP or SNS channel of the company, event Participation, interaction with other customers, etc. appear to be important, while suggesting the practical implications.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.81-93
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• 2015

Purpose - "Showrooming" refers to the phenomenon where a shopper visits a store to see and compare products but makes the purchase online at a lower price. Surveys on showrooming activities at home and abroad indicate that a significant number of consumers pursue showrooming activities. The advent of "showroomers," who engage in buying activities, hovering both on and offline, while selectively choosing sales channels to suit their needs, is powerful enough to erode the borders between channels and bring about seismic changes in the distribution industry. However, surprisingly, there has been no in-depth discussion on showrooming. This study seeks to theoretically investigate what impact personal characteristics have on showrooming preferences and attitudes in a multi-channel environment. Specifically, assumptions have been made that price perception, perceived performance risk, and trust in online shopping not only have a direct impact on showrooming attitudes but also indirectly affect it through the means of contact motivation. Research design, data, and methodology - To test the hypotheses, this study conducted a survey of male and female shoppers, ages 20 through 40s, who live in metropolitan areas, and have actively showroomed fashion items in the last six months. A clothing item usually purchased after a careful decision-making process was chosen as the target product of the study. The survey was conducted between October and November 2014, using a professional survey service provider. A total of 200 surveys were collected, of which 198 were used for analysis. Conceptual model Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Amos 18.0 were employed for data analysis and model verification. In addition, following the confirmatory factor analysis and measurement model analysis, the theoretical model that corresponds to the research model was analyzed. Results - Analysis results show that price perception, perceived performance risk, and trust in online shopping have a statistically significant and positive (+) impact on showrooming attitudes. In addition, in terms of the indirect influence of price perception and perceived performance risk on showrooming attitudes through means of contact motivation, price perception had a statistically significant and positive impact on means of contact motivation, whereas perceived performance risk did not have a statistically significant impact on it, with the relevant hypothesis rejected. Conclusions - These analysis results imply that the ultimate goal of consumers is to maximize their shopping benefits by selectively and strategically taking advantage of different channels in a complementary manner. This study presents many implications for distributors to encourage a deep understanding of showrooming consumers who have complicated consumption behaviors and to build channel integration strategies. This study has limitations in theoretical and practical implications. Therefore, subsequent studies need to focus on verifying that showrooming activities are based on reasonable and planned decisions by applying the theory of reasoned or planned behavior. In addition, the scope of the study should expand to include web showrooming, where consumers conduct product research online and purchase offline.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.170-183
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• 2017

The rapid growth of digital consumption has significantly changed the shopping behavior of consumers. The consumption paradigm is changing; subsequently, an omni-channel has been introduced that empowers consumers to interact with firms through a myriad of touch points in multiple channels. This study is to understand the perceptions and behavioral characteristics of consumers in the purchase process (e.g., information search and purchase phase). A qualitative method was adopted for this study and data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 omni-channel consumers. The results of this study were as follows. At the information search stage, consistency was the most important consideration for consumers who also wanted to retain channel-specific benefits. Consumers also searched for differentiated information among distribution channels. At the purchase stage, participants choose a shopping channel according to shopping values. They utilized newly introduced services (e.g., "online purchase, offline pick-up", FinTech) that combine retail channels. Our findings provide significance in managing omni-channel services. First, it is recommended that fashion retailers provide seamlessly integrated experience to consumer and adopt a consumer-centered channel choice strategy. Second, fashion retailers must maintain a constant attitude toward shopping experience to fashion, such as shopping enjoyment and exclusiveness.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.23-34
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• 2021

Purpose: This study identifies the critical elements of relationship management required to be studied in distribution sciences to create a relational bond of watch manufacturers with their retailers in India. The offline watch retail market is undergoing a rapid transformation due to technology intervention in the product portfolio and the advent of online retailing. The study identifies the interrelationships amongst the constructs of interdependence, trust, affective commitment, and information exchange to form long-lasting relational bonds in the watch industry. Research design, data and methodology: We used a path analysis to investigate the relationship between interdependence, trust, affective commitment, and information exchange. Data has been collected from 143 watch retailers using judgmental sampling method. Results: The data analysis suggested the establishment of measurement and structural model. The absolute and relative goodness of fit models in the causal analysis are 0.628 and 0.959 suggesting a sufficient fit index. Based on the analysis of direct and indirect effects, the results indicate that trust fully mediates the effect of interdependence and information exchange of retailers with the manufacturer. Conclusions: Trust plays an important role in driving commitment and information exchange between watch manufacturers and retailers. Interdependence in the manufacturer-channel relationships would lead to affective commitment only when trust exists in the relationship. [AMAWATE, Vibhas.] in Web of Science and Scopus).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.67 no.2
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• pp.131-146
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to investigate the operating characteristics of fashion start-up companies and the characteristics of their founders. For this purpose, this study surveyed fashion start-up companies via online survey in May 2015, and analyzed the data from one hundred companies. The results are as follows. First, for the characteristics of the founders, female founders constituted 65.0% and male founders 35.0%. At the time of establishment, founders aged 26-35 constituted 77.0%. Founders with less than five years of work experience made up about 80%. 82.1% of the founders participated in domestic and foreign exhibitions/fairs. 41.0% of the founders were awarded fashion contest and competition awards, and 33.3% of the founders were supported by rising designer support projects. Second, for the operating characteristics of the start-up companies, clothing at 78.0% was the most popular entrepreneurial item, and the majority targeted the age 20-30 group. 78.0% of the companies had less than 40 production styles per season, and all the enterprises had less than 5 employees. 59.0% of the companies had export experience. Exports to China, Hong Kong, and Japan accounted for 67.4% of all exports. Major distribution channels were mainly select shops(offline select shops 79.8%, online select shops 62.8%). The main methods of promotion were fashion media articles/interviews, product sponsorship, and SNS. The most preferred distribution channel was becoming a part of online/offline select shops(92.6%). Viral marketing(84.4%), star marketing and costume sponsorship(66.7%) were the most preferred method of promotion. The most preferred way to enter foreign markets was to participate in domestic and foreign exhibitions/fairs/trade shows. This study provides basic data necessary for future founders preparing to launch fashion start-up companies. It also aids fashion start-up companies in developing more advanced business operation strategies.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.74-84
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• 2022

The Korean mobile service market has persistently grown with the number of subscribers and volume of mobile traffic. It shows the slow diffusion of 5G subscribers, and rapid growth of both the MVNO(Mobile Virtual Network Operator) market and unlocked mobile phones. Therefore, this study derives the direction of telcos' strategies and policy implications by empirically analyzing the usage and attitude of LTE and 5G subscribers. Our major findings are as follows: First, our current mobile service subscription market constitutes most long-term customers for their incumbent carriers only by device change from lock-in with bundle services. Mobile tariffs, data speed, and benefits of bundle services are important factors affecting choices and customers' satisfaction with a provider and intentions of churning to another. Second, demand and satisfaction for using 5G are less because speeds and service tariffs act as pain points for 5G services. Third, the users' high preferences for MVNOs and unlocked mobile phones are linked to their subscription to MVNOs' low-cost plans with unlocked mobile phones on online channels. These streams lead to a big change in the market competition that MNO(Mobile Network Operator)s' market shares are expected to decrease and MVNOs' shares will be increased by two times, in the near future. Therefore, MNOs need to change their distribution strategies from offline to online channels and try to resolve the stereotype, "mobile tariffs are expensive," by enhancing their service values. Finally, as consumers prefer one-stop service in the same channel regardless of the distribution channel, policies should focus on the consumers' needs for convenience rather than on the channel separation for perfectly unlocked mobile phones.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.71-78
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• 2016

Purpose - This paper is for the Analysis on the Hindrance Factors and Activation Scheme by the Type of Distribution Channel in Direct transaction of Agricultural Products. As the distribution structure of agricultural products has become changable, farmers seem to use the type of direct distribution in order to enhance the receiving price. This study aims to explore the hindrance factors and income variation rate in direct transaction of agricultural produces, specifically focusing on the 167 farmers. Research design, data, and methodology - To ascertain the hindrance factors exactly by the type of distribution channel, the managements were classified by four subcategories, that is high sales percentage with shopping malls, SNS, shopping malls and SNS, and off-line direct transaction. Results - As a result of the hypothesis test, hinderance factors in online direct deal activation were found to be in the order of the difficulty in continuous content production, the difficulty in shopping mall operation and maintenance, and the difficulty in card commission problems, and in the order of the difficulties in continuous content production, the difficulty in continuous content production, the difficulty in shopping mall operation and maintenance, and the difficulty in branding for the SNS group. Thus, it can be seen that the difficulty in continuous content production, shopping mall operation and maintenance were found to be the biggest obstacles. In addition, hindering factors in online direct deal activation were found to be in the order of the difficulty in credit card settlement, the difficulty in publicity, and the difficulty in dealing with unsold goods. The group with high sales rate in shopping mall was found to be increased by 23.9% in the gross income compared to the previous year, the group with high SNS sales ratio increased by 56.5%, the group with direct offline transaction increased by 37.1%, among which the group with the highest increase rate of SNS sales ratio was found to be the highest from the rate of increase/decrease of the income, which was statistically significant. Conclusions - It can be suggested that government and local government may provide agricultural management with supporting plan which in turn can activate direct transaction in any possible ways.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2022

Purpose: With the rapid changes in the technical development and the trend of consumption trend, the convenience store industry is facing an unprecedented competitive situation in the consumption environment where the boundary between online and offline is broken due to the stagnation of offline distribution channels and the spread of online shopping. The biggest innovation strategy of the major convenience store brands in recent years are introducing the O2O (Online to Offline) platform and presenting new products and services beyond the boundaries of online and offline to transform themselves into Omni Channel stores. The study is designed to analyze the effect of innovativeness of convenience store as a stimulus in O2O platform which customers perceive on store loyalty, the final response to external stimuli, through customer engagement with convenience store brands. Specifically, the innovativeness of convenience stores was divided into types of core activities in corporate marketing and focused on innovations in services, products(proposals), promotions and experiences. Research design, data, and methodology: Various hypotheses have been developed to achieve this research purpose. The data were collected from 1,128 questionnaires the age between 15 and 60 who had experience using retail store apps and delivery apps and were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.3.7 program. Measurement model analysis was carried out to assess convergent and discriminant validity. Also, common method bias was tested using the values of VIF (variance inflation factor). The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with SmartPLS 3.3.7 program. Results: First, service innovation has a positive effect on cognitive engagement. Second, product, promotion and experience innovation have a positive effect on cognitive and affective engagement. Third, cognitive influences affective engagement. Finally, both cognitive and affective engagement affect store loyalty, but affective engagement has a stronger effect on store loyalty than cognitive engagement. Conclusions: All four types of innovation and cognitive engagement have a positive effect on emotional engagement, which has a stronger effect on store loyalty than cognitive engagement. Thus, while innovation can build loyalty through emotional engagement, innovation strategies must be designed and pursued with caution in terms of impact through cognitive engagement may not achieve the planned goals.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.83-90
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• 2016

Purpose - This study focuses on new type distribution channel that named as Omnichannel. Omnichannel is developed from Multichannel which is used in many distribution channels to buy or selling goods. Omnichannel basically needs an Information and Communications Technologies(ICT) to use, so researcher conduct a Technology Acceptance Model(TAM) to research model. Customer-brand relationship was used as dependent variable to focus on the role of Omnichannel. Research design, data, and methodology - The subject of this study is customer who purchase goods or service through omnichannel. Based on the literature from the preceding research analysis of TAM and customer-brand relationship, this study was constructed by the reference to previous studies, final research model design for figure out casual relationship among perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, omnichannel use and customer-brand relationship. From 2016 February 3 to March 17, questionnaire survey targeted customers who use online and offline channels. 273 questionnaire survey had conducted, then, 252 survey data were available for empirical analysis. Researcher provide descriptive statistics for checking generality. Cronbach's alpha value was used to check the reliability of data. Exploratory factor analysis was used for purification of values and eigenvalue checking. After EFA, Confirmatory factor analysis was used to prepare structural equation modeling with executing structural equation modeling for confirming hypothesis which developed by researcher. Results - The main results of this empirical study are as follows. First, omnichannel's perceived ease of use has positive significant effect on perceived usefulness(estimate: 0.579). Moreover, omnichannel's perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness has positive significant effect on omnichannel use(estimate: 0.325,0.648). Second, using omnichannel has positive significant effect on brand-customer relationship(estimate: 0.521). Every hypothesis adopted as researcher designed. This study found out the intermediate relationship between perceived ease of use and omnichannel use by investigating hypothesis. Conclusions - Base on the empirical result, this study confirmed that TAM theory perceived has relation with omnichannel. First, factors of TAM has positive effect on omnichannel use, so it highlights the important role of customer based interface and usefulness. Especially, perceived usefulness has high indirect influence on ease of use and use of omnichannel. It seems that when customers try to decide use or not use omnichannel, customers focus on percept benefits from omnichannel. Thus, a provider should applicate attractive price table, accurate product or service information and high switching cost strategy to emphasize the usefulness of omnichannel. Second, using omnichannel enhances the relationship between customers and brand, because there are more time and frequency to serve customers. It is important because good relationship between customers can increase the future's financial performance through word of mouse, positive brand image and loyalty to brand or company. Finally, despite of empirical result and implications, this study has limitations. First, there are only a few previous studies about omnicahnnel, so literature reviews are restricted. While set up the factors which can affect the use of omnichannel, next study should be considered with broader theories or models(ex: contingency theory). Second, omnichannel has developed from multichannel, so comparative analysis is needed between these methods because there is a possibility about different forte character of each distribution system on customer's consuming patterns.