Journal of Channel and Retailing
Korea Distribution Association
Research note

A Study on Consumer Attitude to Pricing Strategies for Perishable Foods

정재권1, 최환호2,*, 이동명3
Jaekwon Chung1, Hwanho Choi2,*, Dong-Myung Lee3
1국민대학교 경영대학 조교수
2연세대학교 바른ICT연구소 박사 후 연구원
3건국대학교 신산업융합학과 조교수
1Assistant Professor of Marketing, Kookmin University
2Post-doctoral Researcher, Barun ICT Research Center, Yonsei University
3Assistant Professor, Dept. of Advanced Industry Fusion, Konkuk University
*Corresponding Author: hchoi@barunict.kr

© Copyright 2016 Korea Distribution Association. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-ShareAlike License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Jan 20, 2016; Revised: Feb 22, 2016; Accepted: Mar 12, 2016

Published Online: Apr 30, 2016

Abstract

The pricing of perishable foods has been a key strategic factor in the success of food retailers in a fiercely competitive market. In practice, food retailers offer competitive prices to attract potential buyers and to expand their market share. In accordance with such efforts, prior studies on pricing have focused mainly on optimizing prices in order to develop effective pricing structures. This approach takes the view that consumers will be tempted by optimal price propositions and will try to maximize the financial benefits. The problem with the approach is that it is producer- and economic-centric, limiting consumers to having economic interests only. However, we argue that this approach is not as effective as originally assumed, and that we need a change in the current pricing strategy. Based on this understanding, we collect data from actual food consumers using a focus group interview. Our findings suggest that everyday food consumers’ buying decisions are affected by factors other than just price. In particular, we find that everyday food buyers seek a balance between economic interests and ethical concerns. Thus, we define consumers as “everyday ethical consumers.” These consumers question the legitimacy of a retailer’s pricing strategy, because it encourage unnecessary purchasing and generation of food waste, which are critical social concerns. To satisfy consumers and to contribute to society, we suggest that more dynamic pricing can be a viable option. Therefore, food retailers need to consider changing their pricing strategy to meet the needs of contemporary food buyers, and a more dynamic pricing strategy is one possible approach.

요약

신선식품(perishable food) 의 가격관리는 식품 소매업자의 경영성과에 중요한 영향을 미치는 전략적 요 인이다. 식품 소매업자들은 소비자들에게 매력적인 가격을 제시하여 소비자들을 끌어들임으로서 자사의 시장점유율을 높이려 노력하고 있다. 신선식품의 가격관리와 관련된 많은 선행연구들이 진행되었지만, 대 부분은 수익을 극대화하는 동태적 가격모형 개발에 초점을 맞추고 있다. 또한, 신선식품의 동태적 가격모 형들은 판매자 중심으로 연구되었고 가격모형에 대한 소비자들의 반응에 관한 논문은 거의 없다. 따라서, 본 연구는 표적집단면접법(focus group interview)을 통해 동태적 가격모형들이 소비자들의 구매행동과 감정상태에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 연구하였다. 분석결과, 유통기한에 임박하여 신선식품의 가격을 할인하 는 현정책은 소비자들의 불필요한 소비를 부추김으로서 사회적 문제인 식품 폐기량에도 부정적인 영향을 미칠 수 있음을 보여준다. 대안으로 가격인하 시점을 앞당기고 유통기한이 임박할수록 순차적으로 가격을 인하하는 정책은, 소비자가 가격과 신선도를 절충할 수 있는 기회를 제공함으로서 자신의 소비계획에 맞추 어 이성적인 소비를 할 수 있는 기회를 제공할 것으로 보인다.

Keywords: Perishable foods; Food pricing; Food retailing; Consumer behavior
Keywords: 신선식품; 식품 가격; 식품 소매업; 소비자행동