A Study on Measuring and Defining Customer Equity of Complex Shopping Malls

Abstract As leisure time is extended, the time that consumers spend at one shopping space increases, and complex shopping malls are taking center stage as a new type of retail venue, channeling family-focused shopping culture by allowing, the whole family to enjoy themselves at the same time in a space with both shopping space and entertainment facilities. With their new combination of traditional retail activities with entertainment elements, these complex shopping malls satisfy a variety of consumer’ needs, changing buying patterns, in the competitive distribution market. Complex shopping malls are evolving into a living space that offers goods, service, entertainment facilities, and a variety of experiences. Companies have been increasingly employing SNS as a new marketing communication tool. Companies can appeal to consumers and cut marketing costs through use of SNS. Companies use SNS as an important means of marketing to form, keep, and develop relations with consumers. These social network service marketing activities influence complex shopping malls and the malls form relationships with consumers with Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. The final purpose of this study is to suggest a marketing strategy for complex shopping malls by categorizing consumers according to customer equity and lifestyle and by discovering their characteristics through mall image and awareness of users of SNS of complex shopping malls. An online survey of followers of Twitter operated by Mall A and Mall B. The questionnaire was conducted in October 2011 among Twitter followers of Mall A, and the 220 questionnaires that were returned were used in statistical analysis. The 261 questionnaires returned by Twitter followers of Mall B from October 2011 to November 2011 were also used in the statistical analysis. The data of this study were analyzed using the Amos 18, SPSS 18.0 program. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to analyze the validity and reliance of the study parameters and reliance analysis was conducted to confirm the consistency of the questions in the criteria. The structured equation model was used for hypothesis testing and cluster analysis was conducted to analyze the lifestyle of SNS users and to separate groups. Multiple group analysis was conducted to investigate the relationships of each parameter in each cluster. The outcomes of the study are summarized as follows: First, a survey of social network service users of complex shopping malls was performed to identify mall awareness and image. Second, the effect of mall image on self-congruity was confirmed. Customers acknowledged the shopping mall as a self-extension or part of themselves when they feel that self-image and mall image correspond. Third, mall awareness proved to have no effect on mall commitment. A customer’s mere awareness of a shopping mall can hardly be extended to commitment to that shopping mall. Fourth, self-congruity has a significant, positive effect on shopping mall commitment, because self-congruity makes customers more dependent on the shopping mall, continuous commitment results, not to mention emotional commitment. Fifth, the hypothesis that the higher is the customer’s commitment to the shopping mall, the higher is the loyalty, proved to be correct. Sixth, loyalty proved to have an effect on customer equity. Seventh, shopping mall awareness was found to have an effect on customer equity. Eighth, this study classified customer groups into the three categories of fashion-oriented, sociability-oriented, and rationality-oriented, according to the lifestyles of users of multipurpose shopping malls’ SNS. Implications obtained from the study include the following: In a bid to provide assistance in developing marketing strategies for complex shopping malls using social network services, social network service users were categorized by characteristics, and the differences in the use and awareness of SNS were identified. This study reviewed previous studies on SNS and lifestyle at home and abroad, but the questions on lifestyle focusing on fundamental SNS users have yet to be developed, presenting difficulties in fully describing the lifestyles of SNS users. Thus, further study to develop the more specific and reliable questions regarding the lifestyles of SNS users should be pursued.