Study on the Effects of Shop Choice Properties on Brand Attitudes: Focus on Six Major Coffee Shop Brands

점포선택속성이 브랜드 태도에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 6개 메이저 브랜드 커피전문점을 중심으로

This study seeks to understand how the choice of a coffee shop is related to a customer's loyalty and which characteristics of a shop influence this choice. It considers large-sized coffee shops brands whose market scale has gradually grown. The users' choice of shop is determined by price, employee service, shop location, and shop atmosphere. The study investigated the effects of these four properties on the brand attitudes of coffee shops. The effects were found to vary depending on users' characteristics. The properties with the largest influence were shop atmosphere and shop location Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the properties that could help coffee shops get loyal customers, and the choice properties that could satisfy consumers' desires The study examined consumers' perceptions of shop properties at selection of coffee shop and the difference between perceptual difference and coffee brand in order to investigate customers' desires and needs and to suggest ways that could supply products and service. The research methodology consisted of two parts: normative and empirical research, which includes empirical analysis and statistical analysis. In this study, a statistical analysis of the empirical research was carried out. The study theoretically confirmed the shop choice properties by reviewing previous studies and performed an empirical analysis including cross tabulation based on secondary material. The findings were as follows: First, coffee shop choice properties varied by gender. Price advantage influenced the choice of both men and women; men preferred nearer coffee shops where they could buy coffee easily and more conveniently than women did. The atmosphere of the coffee shop had the greatest influence on both men and women, and shop atmosphere was thought to be the most important for age analysis. In the past, customers selected coffee shops solely to drink coffee. Now, they select the coffee shop according to its interior, menu variety, and atmosphere owing to improved quality and service of coffee shop brands. Second, the prices of the brands did not vary much because the coffee shops were similarly priced. The service was thought to be more important and to elevate service quality so that price and employee service and other properties did not have a great influence on shop choice. However, those working in the farming, forestry, fishery, and livestock industries were more concerned with the price than the shop atmosphere. College and graduate school students were also affected by inexpensive price. Third, shop choice properties varied depending on income. The shop location and shop atmosphere had a greater influence on shop choice. The customers in an income bracket of less than 2 million won selected low-price coffee shops more than those earning 6 million won or more. Therefore, price advantage had no relation with difference in income. The higher income group was not affected by employee service. Fourth, shop choice properties varied depending on place. For instance, customers at Ulsan were the most affected by the price, and the ones at Busan were the least affected. The shop location had the greatest influence among all of the properties. Among the places surveyed, Gwangju had the least influence. The alternate use of space in a coffee shop was thought to be important in all the cities under consideration. The customers at Ulsan were not affected by employee service, and they selected coffee shops according to quality and preference of shop atmosphere. Lastly, the price factor was found to be a little higher than other factors when customers frequently selected brands according to shop properties. Customers at Gwangju reacted to discounts more than those in other cities did, and the former gave less priority to the quality and taste of coffee. Brand preference varied depending on coffee shop location. Customers at Busan selected brands according to the coffee shop location, and those at Ulsan were not influenced by employee kindness and specialty. The implications of this study are that franchise coffee shop businesses should focus on customers rather than aggressive marketing strategies that increase the number of coffee shops. Thus, they should create an environment with a good atmosphere and set up coffee shops in places that customers have good access to. This study has some limitations. First, the respondents were concentrated in metropolitan areas. Secondary data showed that the number of respondents at Seoul was much more than that at Gyeonggi-do. Furthermore, the number of respondents at Gyeonggi-do was much more than those at the six major cities in the nation. Thus, the regional sample was not representative enough of the population. Second, respondents' ratio was used as a measurement scale to test the perception of shop choice properties and brand preference. The difficulties arose when examining the relation between these properties and brand preference, as well as when understanding the difference between groups. Therefore, future research should seek to address some of the shortcomings of this study: If the coffee shops are being expanded to local areas, then a questionnaire survey of consumers at small cities in local areas shall be conducted to collect primary material. In particular, variables of the questionnaire survey shall be measured using Likert scales in order to include perception on shop choice properties, brand preference, and repurchase. Therefore, correlation analysis, multi-regression, and ANOVA shall be used for empirical analysis and to investigate consumers' attitudes and behavior in detail.

본 연구는 커피 시장에 대한 시장 규모가 커지고 점차 확대되고 있는 대형 브랜드 커피전문점을 중심으로 점포선택 속성(가격, 종업원서비스, 점포의 입지, 점포 분위기)을 4가지로 규정하여, 그 선택속성들과 커피전문점 이용자의 특성이 어떠한 관계가 있는 가를 알아보자 하였으며, 또한 커피전문점의 브랜드 태도에는 어떠한 영향을 미치는 바를 조사하였다. 그 결과 이용자의 특성에 따라 차이가 났지만 점포선택속성 중 점포의 분위기와 점포입지가 점포선택 속성에 가장 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 이러한 결과를 토대로 본 연구는 커피전문점이 충성고객을 확보하기 위해 어떠한 속성에 중점을 두어야 하며 아울러 소비자의 욕구에 부합되는 선택 속성을 연구하고자 한다. 특히, 유통학문의 연구방법론은 크게 2가지로 규범적 연구방법론, 실증적 연구방법론(경험적 분석기법, 통계적 분석기법)이 있는데, 이중에 본 연구는 실증적 연구방법론중에서 통계적 분석기법을 활용한다. 본 연구의 한계점으로는 첫째, 응답자의 분포가 수도권에 편중되어 있다는 것이다. 본 연구에 이용된 2차 자료를 보면 서울지역의 응답자 수는 경기도 지역에 비해 압도적으로 많았고 경기도 지역의 응답자 수 또한 6대 광역시에 비해 압도적으로 많았다. 따라서 지역 표본이 해당 지역의 모집단을 대표하는데 어느 정도의 한계가 있다고 판단된다. 둘째, 응답자의 비율을 측정척도로 사용한 점이다. 본 연구에서 점포선택속성에 대한 지각정도와 브랜드 선호도를 측정함에 있어서 응답자의 비율을 척도로 사용하였는데 이를 통해 점포선택속성과 브랜드 선호도 간의 관계, 집단 간 차이를 비교적 정확하게 규명하기에는 한계가 따른다. 따라서 향후 연구에서는 위의 한계점을 보완하고 다음과 같은 추가적인 연구가 필요할 것이라 판단된다. 커피전문점들이 점차 지방으로 확대되어 가고 있는 추세에 비추어 볼 때, 6대 광역시 뿐만 아니라 지방 소도시의 소비자들까지 포함하여 설문조사를 실행하여 1차 자료를 수집하는 것이다. 특히 설문조사에서 관련된 변수들을 리커트 척도로 측정하되 점포선택속성에 대한 지각정도, 브랜드 선호도 외에도 재 구매의도까지 포함시킬 수 있다. 따라서 상관관계분석, 다중회귀분석, 분산분석 등을 통해 더욱 정교한 실증분석을 실행하여 소비자의 태도와 행동에 대한 보다 세밀한 분석결과를 도출해야 할 것으로 사료된다.