KOREASCHOLAR

This article focuses on the use of the cosmetics channel of customers. There are many papers about channel choice behavior of consumers. Blattberg et al (2008) pointed out that the consumer decide their channel by marketing action, channel attribute, social influence, channel integration, individual difference, and situation factors. Kushwaha, et al (2013) said that in the case of buying an axiomatic product, consumers who are using only Web are excellent customers, whereas consumers using many channels are excellent customers in the case of a hedonistic product. Neslin, et al (2014) implied that the channel and brand are interrelated, so the customer think about both channel choice and brand choice at same time. Valentine et al (2014) found that multi-channel user is more information sensitive than that of single-channel user, and customer who are satisfied the service of their chosen channel do not try to use new channel. From these papers, it is clear that consumer’s channel choice behavior depends on, not only channel specialty, but also product specialty. On the other hand, there are not many studies about consumer behavior of cosmetic buying. Bloch et al (1992) implied that makeup made person more active, and an evaluation from another person lead to self-satisfaction. Fabricant (1993) pointed out that the purpose of makeup is self-expression and hiding one's fault. From the research of Coulter, et al (2000), opinion leader are more interested in cosmetics and much quantity of purchasing. Because cosmetic is very image oriented products, customer’s information sensitivity and cosmetic lifestyle are important to buy cosmetics
Gathering data about channel choice behavior of consumers in Japan, it becomes clear that stylish and fashionable customers are willing to buy at department stores as their priority is channel images, while non-fashionable customers tend to buy at drugstores and GMS, as their priority is low price. It imply that stylish and fashionable score, cosmetic lifestyle of customer, and channel image are important factors for channel choice behavior of customer. Some customer use both department stores and drugstores, and some customer use both GMS and drugstores. Customers who use both department stores and drugstores are almost same lifestyle of customers who use department stores only, otherwise lifestyle scores of customers who use both GMS and drugstores are, almost same as drugstore only customers. It means that customer of department stores use drugstore as the sub channel of department stores, but customer of GMS use drugstore as the main channel. We must take care about customer combination of store channels.
It becomes clear that channel images and customer lifestyle are very important to explain consumer’s channel choice.

• Akira Shimizu(Keio University, Japan)