Abstract

As distribution environment is changing rapidly and competition is more intensive in the channel of distribution, the importance of retailer image and retailer equity is increasing as a different competitive advantages. Also, consumers are not functionally oriented and that their behavior is significantly affected by the symbols such as retailer image which identify retailer in the market place. That is, consumers do not choose products or retailers for their material utilities but consume the symbolic meaning of those products or retailers as expressed in their self images. The concept of self-image congruence has been utilized by marketers and researchers as an aid in better understanding how consumers identify themselves with the brands they buy and the retailer they patronize. Although self-image congruity theory has been tested across many product categories, the theory has not been tested extensively in the retailing. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the impact of self image congruence between retailer image and self image of consumer on retailer equity such as retailer awareness, retailer association, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty. The purpose of this study is to find out whether retailer-self image congruence can be a new antecedent of retailer equity. In addition, this study tries to examine how four-dimensional retailer equity constructs (retailer awareness, retailer association, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty) affect customers' repatronage intention. For this study, data were gathered by survey and analyzed by structural equation modeling. The sample size in the present study was 254. The reliability of the all seven dimensions was estimated with Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability values and average variance extracted values. We determined whether the measurement model supports the convergent validity and discriminant validity by Exploratory factor analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. For each pair of constructs, the square root of the average variance extracted values exceeded their correlations, thus supporting the discriminant validity of the constructs. Hypotheses were tested using the AMOS 18.0. As expected, the image congruence hypotheses were supported. The greater the degree of congruence between retailer image and self-image, the more favorable were consumers' retailer evaluations. The all two retailer-self image congruence (actual self-image congruence and ideal self-image congruence) affected customer based retailer equity. This result means that retailer-self image congruence is important cue for customers to estimate retailer equity. In other words, consumers are often more likely to prefer products and retail stores that have images similar to their own self-image. Especially, it appeared that effect for the ideal self-image congruence was consistently larger than the actual self-image congruence on the retailer equity. The results mean that consumers prefer or search for stores that have images compatible with consumer's perception of ideal-self. In addition, this study revealed that customers' estimations toward customer based retailer equity affected the repatronage intention. The results showed that all four dimensions (retailer awareness, retailer association, perceived retailer quality, and retailer loyalty) had positive effect on the repatronage intention. That is, management and investment to improve image congruence between retailer and consumers' self make customers' positive evaluation of retailer equity, and then the positive customer based retailer equity can enhance the repatonage intention. And to conclude, retailer's image management is an important part of successful retailer performance management, and the retailer-self image congruence is an important antecedent of retailer equity. Therefore, it is more important to develop and improve retailer's image similar to consumers' image. Given the pressure to provide increased image congruence, it is not surprising that retailers have made significant investments in enhancing the fit between retailer image and self image of consumer. The enhancing such self-image congruence may allow marketers to target customers who may be influenced by image appeals in advertising.

최근 유통환경과 소비자 라이프스타일의 변화 속에서 단순히 제품을 판매하고 유통시키는 것에 그치는 것이 아닌 소매점자산을 증대시켜 고객을 획득하고 유지할 수 있는 차별화된 경쟁우위가 필요하게 되었으며, 이러한 대안으로 소매점 이미지의 중요성이 날로 커지고 있다. 이에 따라, 본 연구는 소매점의 이미지와 자아이미지 일치성이라는 요인과 고객기반 소매점자산과의 구조적관계를 조사하여 소비자들의 재이용의도에 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 알아보고자 하였다. 본 연구의 가장 큰 학문적 기여점은 소매점자산에 영향을 주는 자아이미지일치성이라는 선행 요인을 찾아내는데 있으며, 또한 소매점자산이 재이용의도에 강력한 선행요인임을 확인하는데 있어서 기존의 연구들이 보여준 Second-order Construct 유형의 소매점자산척도와 결과 변수간의 단일차원 인과관계가 아닌, 소매점자산을 구성하는 각각의 요인들과 재이용의도의 좀 더 구체적인 변수간의 구조적관계를 실증할 수 있게 되었다. 본 연구는 소매점과 자아의 이미지일치성을 두 가지 차원(실제 자아이미지일치성, 이상적 자아이미지일치성)으로 나누고 소매점자산의 구성요소인 소매점인지, 소매점연상, 지각된 소매점 품질, 소매점충성도에 어떠한 영향을 미치는가를 분석하고 자아이미지일치성을 토대로 평가된 소매점자산 요인들이 소매점의 재이용의도에 미치는 영향을 분석하여 소매점의 이미지의 관리와 투자에 대한 마케팅 측면의 중요성을 제시하고 있다. 연구모델에 대한 분석결과 소매점-실제 자아이미지일치성과 소매점-이상적 자아이미지일치성 모두 모두 소매점자산 요인들에 긍정적인 영향을 미쳤으며, 그 중 이상적 자아이미지일치성이 소매점자산 요인들에 미치는 상대적인 영향력이 더 크게 나타났다. 또한 소매점자산을 구성하는 각각의 요인들은 소비자의 소매점 재이용의도에 긍정적인 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 타겟 소비자들의 자아 이미지와 소매점의 상징적 이미지를 일치시키는 마케팅 노력을 통해 소비자들과 소매점 사이의 강력한 감정적 결속이 형성되어 해당 소매점의 자산을 높게 평가하고 지속적인 이용의도를 가져올 수 있음을 시사한다.

Keywords

• self image congruence;
• actual self-image congruence;
• ideal self-image congruence;
• retailer awareness;
• perceived retailer quality;
• repatronage intention

• 자아이미지일치성;
• 소매점이미지;
• 소매점인지;
• 소매점연상;
• 지각된 소매점품질;
• 소매점충성도;
• 재이용의도;