The Effect on Satisfaction with Mediation of Trust Caused by Hypermarkets' Online Image

온라인에서 대형마트 쇼핑몰의 이미지가 신뢰를 매개로 만족에 미치는 영향

Purpose - This study analyzed how image affects customer trust and satisfaction in the online shopping mall market, which is becoming more competitive; future implications for customer management in online shopping malls were presented. Consumers visit and prefer a few shopping mall sites instead of many sites. Consumers do not visit sites that cannot provide trust and satisfaction. Therefore, establishing trust and satisfaction with differentiated image is essential for survival and growth. Specifically analyzing company image, shop image, and brand image, I studied how symbolic image, functional image, and empirical image affect satisfaction mediated by trust in the online shopping malls of hypermarket retailers. Research design, data, and methodology - To investigate the relationship between image and satisfaction of big box retailers' shopping malls in the online market, the study is based on analyzed data from questionnaires involving advanced research. From May 1st to 20th in the year 2014, a questionnaire survey targeting university students using big box retailers' shopping malls in Seoul was conducted. A total of 282 questionnaires were conducted, and 276 questionnaires were used for empirical analysis, excluding invalid data. Using the SPSS 21.0 statistics package, factor analysis and regression analysis were implemented, and effects of image on trust and satisfaction were presented. Results - First, symbolic image can affect satisfaction with only trust. Among 3 image factors, symbolic image exerts the most influence on trust; trust is important in coupling the medium to satisfaction. Second, functional image and empirical image affect satisfaction directly and indirectly with trust. Conclusions - As I classified the image of hyper market retailers' online shopping malls into symbolic, functional, and empirical image, I analyzed the effects of image on trust and satisfaction empirically. The results of the study and strategic implications are as follows. First, symbolic image can affect satisfaction with only trust. Among 3 image factors, symbolic image exerts the most influence on trust; trust is important in coupling the medium to satisfaction. The establishment of a distinctive symbolic image, such as the online shopping mall's loyalty, level of awareness, and special service, is needed. With the establishment of symbolic image, trust and satisfaction could be improved. Second, functional image and empirical image affect satisfaction directly and indirectly with trust. Especially, as functional image affects trust more than empirical image, setting and implementing a strategy for empirical image based on the right price, service, and convenience could raise trust and satisfaction. Empirical image affects trust and satisfaction substantially. Even though empirical image's influence on trust is lower than that of other three image factors, empirical image's influence on satisfaction is higher than symbolic image. Therefore, it requires a strategy for providing joyful use, and information research functions and distinctive use experience are important to improve satisfaction. This study analyzed image characteristics of hyper-market retailers' online shopping malls in the fast-growing online market; future strategic implications were presented.