기술제품 재구매시 제품지식과 전환비용이 제품속성별 중요도에 미치는 영향

Abstract

In this study, focusing on a repurchasing situation of a hi-tech combined product DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera, we have analyzed how are the effects of functional performances of a product (as intrinsic attributes) and the brand of a product (as an extrinsic attribute) on a customer’s choice of a product changing according to the level of the customer’s knowledge about the product and the amount of switching cost caused by DSLR lens. Our first research hypothesis (H1) is that a customer with a high level of product knowledge would think much of the functional performances of a product than a customer with a low level of product knowledge did, while a customer with a low level of product knowledge would think much of the brand of a product than a customer with a high level of product knowledge did. Our second research hypothesis (H2) is that a customer with a large switching cost would think much of the brand of a product than a customer with a small switching cost did, while a customer with a small switching cost would think much of the functional performances of a product than a customer with a large switching cost did. We used conjoint analysis, for a situation of repurchasing DSLR camera, to test our research hypotheses. First, we estimated the relative importances of attributes, including functional performances and the brand, of the DSLR camera for each customer who has DSLR camera,by assuming that he or she is going to repurchase a DSLR camera. After that, respondents,to the conjoint questionnaire, were divided into two groups by the level of product knowledge (to test H1) and the amount of switching cost (to test H2). Finally, we tested if there is any significant difference in the relative importance of each attribute between the two groups. Conjoint profiles were driven with 4 attributes: CCD(charge coupled device) size, number of pixels (as intrinsic attributes), brand (as an extrinsic attribute), and price. The 4 attributes were set to have 2×3×2×3 levels respectively. We used nominal scales for CCD size (full-frame or crop) and brand (two big brands in the market: Cannon or Nicon), and ratio scales for number of pixels and price. Hence the full factorial design needs 36 profiles. However, in order to be able to make an efficient comparison by reducing the number of profiles, we applied a fractional factorial design to set 9 conjoint profiles. The level of product knowledge was estimated by the factor score from 5 measurement variables about subjective level of product knowledge. And the amount of switching cost was calculated by the remaining value of DSLRlens the respondents have. It is interesting to note that DSLR-lens is a complementary good for the DSLR, so the switching cost is caused by a lock-in to the brand he or she has because of the complementary good. 179 respondents gave their preference order among 9 conjoint profiles. The relative importances of 4 attributes was driven for each respondents. The decreasing order of the average values of the relative importances for all respondents if price > CCD size > number of pixels > brand. In order to test the research hypotheses, we used t-test to test if there is any significant difference in relative importances of attributes according to the level of product knowledge or the amount of switching cost. The mean difference tests for the relative importance of 4 attributes between the 2 groups,divided by the level of product knowledge, show that ① the relative importance of CCD size is significantly larger in the customer group with a high level of product knowledge than in the customer group with a low level of product knowledge, and ② the relative importance of brand is significantly smaller in the customer group with a low level of product knowledge than in the customer group with a high level of product knowledge. However, the mean difference tests for the relative importance of 4 attributes between the 2 groups, divided by the amount of switching cost, show that ① the relative importance of brand is significantly larger in the customer group with large amount of switching cost than in the customer group with small amount of switching cost, and ② the relative importance of CCD size is significantly smaller in the customer group with large amount of switching cost than in the customer group with small amount of switching cost. The result of this research means that, in a situation of repurchasing the DSLR, the higher his or her level of product knowledge is, the more (or the less) he or she thinks about the intrinsic attribute (or the extrinsic attribute). It also means that, the larger the amount of his or her level switching cost is, the more (or the less) he or she thinks about the extrinsic attribute (or the intrinsic attribute).