오프라인 유통기업의 온라인 플랫폼 인수효과에 대한 탐구: 이마트의 이베이코리아 인수에 대한 소비자 반응

Abstract

Since the pandemic crisis, the boom in online shopping has intensified leading to fierce competition in the retail market. The acquisition of online platforms by offline retailers has become a prominent strategy to overcome this competition. This study explores the effect of online platform acquisition by offline retailers through consumers’ opinions on E-Mart's acquisition of eBay Korea. Through two surveys of users of both companies, this study explored their opinions on the acquisition its usefulness, brand equity value, and expected benefits. According to the two surveys, first, consumers of both E-Mart and eBay Korea expect the acquisition of eBay Korea to increase E-Mart's competitiveness in online shopping, secure competitiveness in the eBay system, and enhance competitiveness in omni-channels. Second, among the benefits they expect from eBay, they anticipate that eBay Korea's integration with information and communication technology, as well as its competitiveness as an offline retailer, will help E-Mart build an omni-channel strategy through the acquisition. Third, E-Mart consumers not only viewed the acquisition of eBay Korea as helpful but also had a favorable view of E-Mart's brand equity after the acquisition. In particular, loyal customers with high purchasing power and substantial offline shopping experience had a particularly positive view of the acquisition. This study highlights the need for offline retailers to integrate online systems and underscores the importance of establishing integrated online and offline channels in the post-pandemic era of rapid changes in the retail environment.