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Market Segmentation of Online and Off-Line Cosmetics Consumers according to Benefits Sought

2008; The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles; Volume: 32; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5850/jksct.2008.32.7.1034

2234-0793

Myoung-Hee Lee,

Customer Service Quality and Loyalty

The objectives of this study were to group female consumer types according to cosmetics benefits sought at online and off-line cosmetic shopping malls, and to investigate the differences in consumer values, cosmetic purchase behaviors, and demographic variables according to the consumer types. Subjects were 451 females residing in Seoul, of whom 212 were online shoppers and 239 were off-line shoppers. Five dimensions of cosmetics benefits sought were derived by factor analysis. These were functionality, economy, brand, fashion, and practicality. The female consumers were classified into four benefits sought types by cluster analysis of the five dimensions: T.1 'practicality sought type', T.2 'economy sought type', T.3 'brand function sought type', and T.4 'economic function sought type'. Economy sought consumers purchased cosmetics much more from online shopping malls than from off-line. The cosmetics expenses of practicality sought online consumers were low and many of them were in their 20's and middle-class. Economy sought online consumers preferred domestic brand, their cosmetics expenses were low, and many of them were career women. Practicality sought off-line consumers were high in independent value. Economy sought off-line consumers were low in independent value and social approval value, preferred domestic brand, and distributed more in college students than in career women. Brand function sought off-line consumers purchased cosmetics at department store and regarded social approval value as important. Economic function sought off-line consumers were distributed in middle-class and in diverse age range.