Consumer behavior in rural South Korean communities
Date
1999
Authors
Choi, Yun-Jung
Major Professor
Advisor
Miller, Nancy J.
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Abstract
A rural community and its marketplace have characteristics of social and economic exchange behavior. Although a rural community market represents a sizeable group of consumers who have a significant buying force in retail markets, little attention has been given to the non-metropolitan areas in the U.S. as well as in South Korea, especially those represented by small rural communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate aspects of rural South Korean consumers' shopping behavior. Factors previously tested with consumers in rural Iowa and Nebraska communities by Miller and Kean (1997) and Miller (in press) were expanded by cross cultural testing of empirical variables regarding consumers' 1) moral, social, and economic motivations, 2) satisfaction with local retail establishment, 3) reciprocity, 4) attachment to their community, 5) intention to inshop, and 6) inshopping behavior.
The effect of brand loyalty on consumers' purchasing in rural communities was also explored by examining South Korean rural consumer brand preference for U.S. versus Korean jeans. Quantitative data were collected through door-to-door survey technique in South Korea. With non-metropolitan town and with populations less than 10,000, two rural communities in mid east South Korea were determined. A total of 182 questionnaire were deemed usable with a 65% response rate for the study. Simple and multiple regression analyses revealed that rural Korean consumers' inshopping intention with local retailers was strongly affected by their moral, social, and economic motivations, level of satisfaction with local retail establishment, reciprocity, and community attachment.
Rural Korean consumers' overall brand loyalty, on the other hand, was weakly related to their intention to shop with local retailers. However, the desire for buying Korean brands from local stores was significant in rural South Korean communities. This study will benefit small sized retailers by providing information about Korean rural consumers' buying decisions regarding apparel products, brands, and various customer services. In addition to practical applications, findings will also contribute to the refinement of reciprocity's role in exchange theory and its application to consumer behavior.
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