본 논문은 2000년부터 2009년 총 10년 동안 국내에서 수행된 온라인 소비자행동 관련 연구 총 125편을 검토하고 그 현황을 살펴보고, 향후 연구 방향에 대해 제시해 보았다. 이를 위해 온라인소비자행동 관련 논문이 게재된국내 주요학술지인 경영학연구, 소비자학연구, 마케팅연구, 마케팅저널을 선정하여 해당 기간 동안의 논문들을 수집, 분석하였다. 또한 비교를 위해 같은 기간의 해외 대표저널인 JCR(Journal of Consumer Research)과 JM (Journal of Marketing)에 게재된 관련 논문들 22편을 검토하였다.
그 결과, 우리나라에서는 해외에 비해 많은 양의 온라인 소비자행동 관련 논문이 게재되었으며, 그중에서도 소비자학연구에 가장 많은 논문이 게재된 것으로 나타났다. 하지만 2000년대 초중반에 비해 후반으로 갈수록 논문 수는 줄어드는 추세를 보였다. 2000년대 초기에는 인터넷 수용이나 인터넷 탐색에 대한 연구가 많았고, 2000년대중․후반기에는 온라인 소비자 특성 및 소비행동관련 인과 모델 검증이 다수를 차지하였다. 2000년대 후반에는Web 2.0을 반영한 구전, 커뮤니티 등의 연구들이 비교적 활발하게 진행된 것으로 나타났다. 연구대상은 온라인 쇼핑행동이 가장 많았고, 실무적인 시사점을 제공하는 응용 연구가 이론 연구보다 많았다. 소비자행동 주제별로는 소비자의 평가 및 태도 연구가 가장 많았고, 다음은 선택 및 구매로 나타났다. 연구 방법별로는 설문조사 데이터를 이용한 구조방정식으로 분석한 양적 연구가 가장 많았으며 질적 연구는 미미한 편이었다. 사용된 독립변수로는 사이트 특성 및 속성 평가와 관련된 변수, 매개변수에서는 지각과 관련된 변수, 조절변수에서는 소비자와 웹사이트 특성관련 변수, 종속변수에서는 구매 및 선택 관련 변수가 많이 사용되었다. 또한 연구주제별로는 인터넷이용/사이트방문행동, 온라인소비자 유형/특성, 온라인 소비가치, 전자상거래 수용/이용, 온라인 플로우/감정, 온라인 지각위험/신뢰, 온라인 점포특성/품질, 온라인 만족/재구매/로열티, 온라인 구전, 온라인 촉진/광고, 그리고 온라인 커뮤니티등으로 분류되었다.
본 연구의 분석결과를 바탕으로 연구주제/변수의 다양화, 다양한 온라인 영역으로 연구 지속화, 연구방법의 다양화, 통합적 온라인 소비자행동 모델개발, 한국적 온라인 소비자행동 이론개발, 국제비교연구와 종단적 연구의 필요성을 제시하였다.
This paper reviewed 125 papers on online consumer behaviors from 2000 to 2009 in Korea.
Researches were chosen from major academic journals including Korea Management Review,Journal of Consumer Studies, Korea Journal of Marketing, Korea Marketing Journal, addition to JCR(Journal of Consumer Research), JM(Journal of Marketing) for comparison.
As results, Korea Management Review total 28 papers, Journal of Consumer Studies total 44 papers, Korea Journal of Marketing total 35 papers, Korea Marketing Journal total 18papers, and JCR total 9 papers, JM total 13 papers in same duration. In early and mid 2000s,there were more researches than late 2000s. Internet acceptance and searching studies were popular early in the 2000s, online consumer characteristics, causal model, and log file analysis were most mid 2000s. Electronic word-of-mouth and communities reflect to Web 2.0 were activating in the late 2000s. The theory-driven papers were published in early in the 2000 but decreasing in the late 2000s. In contrast, the managerial implication studies were increasing in the mid and late 2000s.
After classifying papers by consumer decision process, consumer motivation and value were 25, consumer information processing 37, consumer evaluation and attitude 85, consumer choice and purchasing behavior 68, post purchasing behavior including satisfaction, word-of-mouth,loyalty or repurchasing 41, socio-cultural factors of consumer behaviors 59. Online shopping studies were most frequent among researches.
The quantitative papers were 106, qualitative papers 7, mixed paper 12. In qualitative papers,using FGI(Focus Group Interview) was only one, depth interview 9, literature studies 3, content analysis just one. In quantitative papers, experiment studies were 24, using questionnaire 87, mathematical modeling 2, log file analysis 5. In statistics methods, factor analysis was 86, regression analysis 35, correlation analysis 34, ANOVA 23, t-test 19, frequency analysis 13, cluster and logit analysis 6, cross-tab analysis 5, structure equation modeling 60. So,factor analysis and SEM are using most.
As independent variables, demographic variables were 3, behavior variables 14, motivation and psychology 27, attitude 24, site characteristics and attribute evaluation 103, external environment factor 7. As dependent variables, purchase and choice were 49, attitude and response 18, post purchasing behaviors 36. As mediating variables, perception variables were 33, behavioral 14, attitude 59, emotion 9. As moderating variables, consumer characteristics were 20, product characteristics 3, Web site characteristics 10, culture 2.
In addition, 11 theme were suggested from 125 papers like Internet use/site visiting, classification and characteristics of online consumer, utilitarian/hedonic value, adoption and use of e-commerce,flow and oline emotion, perceived risks/online trust, characteristics/quality of online store,online satisfaction/loyalty, eWOM, online marketing stimuli, and online community.
Some limitations of researches were found as lack of international comparison studies,longitudinal studies, integrative theory or models, qualitative studies, diversity of study subjects,and Korean specific variables. The most papers conducted last 10 years applies to theory or model developed in foreign countries, so further research should include Korean-specific variables.
A comprehensive model of online consumer behaviors including stimulus factors to consumer behavior, information processing, and decision making process is needed in further research.
Various methodologies including qualitative and mathematical modeling should be adopted for rich and rigorous results. As cross-cultural studies are popular in traditional consumer behaviors, international comparison study is needed in online consumer behaviors.
Online consumer behavior researches in Korea has rapidly diffused in short time because of the extension of IT industry and research pressure of academic job. It is a good time to leap frogging with Web 2.0 and 3.0 age. Many topics like consumer behaviors relating blog,social network service, tweeter, and smart phon are waiting for us.
