從需求面探討灰色市場

Abstract

灰色市場已經成為一個全球化且橫跨許多產業的現象，不僅出現在未開發和開發中的國家，也出現在已開發的成熟市場當中。灰色市場意指有品牌的商品，經由未經品牌擁有者所授權的通路來販售。雖然文獻中對於灰色市場的問題曾有所探討，然而從需求面探討此一問題者卻不多見。本研究之目的包括：(1)建構一個有效的指標來衡量消費者對於灰色市場商品的態度；(2)探討消費者對灰色市場商品的態度和其影響因素之間的關係；(3)研究品牌經理在灰色市場的因應策略對於消費者的態度所可能產生的影響。 資料分析之後發現，價格-品質的聯想和風險規避對於消費者對灰色商品的態度有負面的影響；而消費者對灰色商品的態度又正面的影響其購買灰色商品的傾向。灰色商品的出現對於消費者的品牌信任有負面的影響；比較式的廣告對於品牌忠誠度有負面的影響；而提高灰色商品的維修費用對於商店形象有負面的影響。 根據研究結果，本研究針對後續的研究方向，以及國際品牌經理提出若干的建議，以便從需求層面來適度處理灰色市場的問題。

Gray market activities have become global across various industries, occurring not only in less developed or volatile markets, but also in many well-developed markets. Gray market means the selling of genuine branded goods through channels without brand owner’s consent. Although the gray market problem has been discussed in the literature, pertinent research from a demand perspective remains scarce. The purpose of this study is to establish a valid measure of consumer attitude toward gray market goods, investigates the relationships between consumer attitude toward gray market goods and its antecedents, and study the impact of management’s responses on consumer’s attitude toward the brand and retailer. Data analysis reveals that both price-quality inference and risk averseness significantly and negatively affect consumer attitude toward gray market goods, which in turn, positively related to consumer’s purchase intention of gray market goods. The appearance of gray-market goods has negative impact on brand trust, that comparative advertising has negative influence on brand loyalty, and that increasing service fees for gray-market goods has negative impact on consumers’ store image. Based on the results of this study, the suggestions for further research and the implications for managers of international brands to manage gray market issue from demand aspect are discussed.