개인 간 거래 플랫폼 이용자 특성에 대한 비교분석

Abstract

Purpose: C2C e-commerce platforms have distinct characteristics from conventional B2C e-commerce platforms, and reflecting this, it can be seen that users of C2C e-commerce platform will have various differentiated characteristics in terms of demographic and product purchase propensity. By comparing and analyzing the characteristics of rapidly growing users of C2C e-commerce platform, it is expected that basic data necessary for corporate strategy and policy development related to the development of mobile platform services that are driving the growth of C2C e-commerce can be provided. For this purpose, this paper tries to examine and identify the differentiated characteristics of users of C2C e-commerce platforms through the comparative analysis with the characteristics of users of B2C e-commerce platforms. Research design, data, and methodology: For this comparative analysis, large-scale nationwide survey data for the period of 2016~2021 were used to construct relevant variables for the analysis. As for the characteristics of users, various demographic characteristics, characteristics related to the use of information and communication devices and services, and characteristics related to product purchase propensity were comprehensively considered as explanatory variables. Two dummy variables are constructed for dependent variables. One indicates whether to have experience of using C2C e-commerce platforms and the other indicates whether to have experience of using B2C e-commerce platforms. Using these two dummy variables as dependent variables, we estimated logit models. Based on the estimation results, we analyzed how user characteristics affect the likelihood of use of C2C e-commerce platforms and the likelihood of use of B2C e-commerce platforms, respectively. By comparing the estimation results, we could examine and identify the differentiated characteristics of users of C2C e-commerce platforms from the characteristics of users of B2C e-commerce platforms. Results: As a result, the use of C2C e-commerce platforms was relatively common among young people. And unlike the use of conventional B2C e-commerce platforms, the use of C2C e-commerce platforms was affected only by household income, not by personal income, not by gender, but by employment status. This difference is related to the proportion of used product transactions and face to face transactions in C2C e-commerce. In addition, as both the C2C and B2C e-commerce platforms are mainly based on mobile Internet services, the characteristics related to the use of information and communication devices and services were similar. Regarding the product purchase propensity, it was found that users of C2C e-commerce platforms mainly focus on used product transactions, so instead of putting value on the latest products, they put value on visible parts such as design and color. In addition, users of B2C e-commerce platforms value additional functions other than those required in the product, but such characteristics did not appear for users of C2C e-commerce platforms. Conclusions: In the past few years, the use of C2C e-commerce platforms has grown rapidly and its proportion continues to grow amid changes in the consumption paradigm coupled with the evolution of mobile platform services. An understanding of the characteristics of users who purchase products through such C2C e-commerce platforms is very important for operators and policymakers related to C2C e-commerce platform services. It is meaningful in this respect that the results of this paper were able to confirm differences in various aspects in the demographic and product purchase propensity of users of C2C e-commerce platforms. These differences can be seen as reflecting the characteristics of the main consumer group and consumption patterns in the C2C e-commerce. Findings regarding the differentiated characteristics of users of C2C e-commerce platforms can be used as basic data necessary for the future development of mobile platform services for C2C e-commerce. In addition, as the large proportion of face to face transactions generally restricts access to women who shop a lot online, investment and efforts are required to develop services to increase the stability of non-face-to-face transactions. Socially, the encouragement of transaction of used products has benevolent effects of saving resources and alleviating environmental problems, so policy seeking such as legally supporting the stability of C2C transactions is also desirable. However, as it is a newly rapidly growing service based on innovation, policy efforts to induce autonomous investment and efforts of private sector should be prioritized over hasty legal intervention.