消費者購物傾向對其選擇網際網路、型錄、與零售商店做為資訊與購買管道之影響－－台灣與美國之比較

Channel Selection as a Function of Consumers' Shopping Orientations: A Comparison of the Internet Users in US and Taiwan

本研究試圖探討美國和台灣的消費者，在兩個不同發展階段的網路消費市場的網路購買行為，並檢視有那些因素可能影響他們對於商品資訊獲取和商品購買管道之選擇。研究者納入消費者的人口變項，與消費者生活型態相關的購物傾向作為主要的預測變數，受訪者對各種購物管道的熟悉程度，作為預測變項，由此檢測以上的因素對他們選擇使用網際網路與傳統管道中的型錄、和零售商店時，會有怎樣的影響。本研究分別與美國的網路市調公司和台灣的SeedNet數位電信公司合作，經由線上調查訪問了1,060位美國網友和909位台灣網友。從分析結果顯示：台灣和美國的網友人口結構確有差異，美國上網人口的平均年齡較長而且使用網路作為購物管道頻次較高，顯示出美國網路市場的發展階段比台灣成熟。從分析結果顯示：無論美、台消費者個人對於各購買管道的熟悉程度最能預測其使用該管道的頻率；另外，除了便利性之外，其他的購物傾向，例如，注重購買前檢視、和喜外精挑細選，對台灣網友選擇網路購物的影響力不明顯，對美國網友確有相當的預測力。

Through on-line surveys, information about 1060 American and 909 Taiwanese internet users were collected and analyzed with a view to comparing their channel selection behavior in shopping for a variety of products/services. Individual demographic factors (i.e., gender, age, and education) and their shopping orientations were used as the predictors of their use of the Web, catalogs, and retail stores for product information as well as for product purchase venues. Retail store was still the predominant marketing channel for many product categories; however, the Web emerged as the top choice for a few digital products. Catalog was the lagging behind one though it has existed in marketplace longer than the Web. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that individual's acquaintance with a particular channel was a strong predictor of the frequency of the channel usage. Meanwhile, shopping orientations, such as, convenience, experiential (pre-purchase inspection) and selective shopping showed significant impacts on the use of the Web and of catalogs respectively.