Abstract摘要
本文的研究目的是以中国苏宁电器为例，从渠道协调的角度研究苏宁电器线上线下渠道结合的营销策略。本文以多渠道销售理论、渠道冲突理论、渠道协调理论和4P营销理论为基础，构建了本文的理论基础。本文采用定量研究的方法，通过问卷收集数据，采用描述性统计和相关统计的方法对141份问卷的数据进行分析。t检验和相关分析表明，苏宁线上渠道消费者对产品策略、价格策略和促销策略的满意度显著高于线下渠道，表明消费者更愿意在网上购买产品，这一点得到了证实。苏宁线上线下渠道存在一定程度的冲突。在相关研究和数据的基础上，对问卷调查结果进行了分析，认为线上线下渠道在产品策略、价格策略和促销策略上的不一致是造成苏宁线下冲突的重要原因之一。g.苏宁采取了这种不一致的策略，因为苏宁的目标是应对竞争对手的挑战，更好地满足消费者的需求，这种不一致增加了苏宁在线渠道的销售，但对苏宁的线下销售产生了负面影响。综上所述，苏宁线上线下渠道的产品、价格、促销策略配合不好，导致渠道冲突现象。最后从产品、价格和促销策略三个方面，对苏宁如何处理线上和线下渠道协调提出了建议。
The research aim of this dissertation was to take Suning Appliance in China as an example to study the marketing strategy of combining its online and offline channels from the perspective of channel coordination. This dissertation was based on multichannel sales theory, channel conflict theory, channel coordination theory and 4P marketing theory to build the theoretical basis of this dissertation. In this dissertation, quantitative research methods were used, through questionnaires to collect data, using descriptive statistics and correlation statistics method to analyze the data of 141 copies of questionnaires. T-test and correlation analysis showed that consumers satisfaction with product strategy, price strategy and promotion strategy of Suning’s online channels was significantly higher than that of the offline channels, indicating that consumers were more willing to buy products online, which proved that there was a certain degree of conflicts between Suning’s online and offline channels. Based on the relevant research and data, the author analyzed the results of the questionnaire and concluded that the inconsistency of the online and offline channels in product strategy, price strategy and promotion strategy was one of the important reasons for the online-offline conflicts in Suning. Suning adopted this inconsistent strategy because Suning aimed to meet the challenges of competitors and better meet what consumer needed, this inconsistency increased sales of Suning’s online channels but has a negative impact on Suning's offline sales. All in all, the product, price and promotion strategies of Suning's online and offline channels did not cooperate well and led to the phenomenon of channel conflicts. The author finally recommended from the three aspects of product, price and promotion strategies for Suning on how to deal with online and offline channel coordination.
Keywords: O2O; channel conflict; channel coordination; product; price; promotion
Table of contents
Abstract.............................................................................................................................................9
Chapter I Introduction..................................................................................................................10
1.1 Background..............................................................................................................10
1.2 Motivation................................................................................................................13
1.3 Research aim and objectives....................................................................................15
Chapter II Literature Review........................................................................................................17
2.1 Theory......................................................................................................................17
2.1.1 Multichannel sales...........................................................................................17
2.1.2 Channel conflict..............................................................................................18
2.1.3 Channel coordination......................................................................................19
2.2 Empirical research of multichannel sales ................................................................20
2.2.1 Importance of multichannel sales....................................................................20
2.2.2 Research on consumer choice of channels......................................................21
2.3 Research on channel conflict...................................................................................22
2.3.1 Cause and manifestation of channel conflict..................................................22
2.3.2 Causes and manifestations of online and offline channel conflicts................23
2.3.3 Impact of channel conflict...............................................................................24
2.4 Empirical research on channel coordination............................................................24
2.4.1 Channel coordination strategy.........................................................................24
2.4.2 Benefits of channel coordination....................................................................25
2.5 Critical analysis........................................................................................................26
2.6 Summary of this chapter..........................................................................................27
Chapter III Methodology...............................................................................................................28
3.1 Philosophical position..............................................................................................28
3.2 Research design........................................................................................................29
3.3 Research approach...................................................................................................30
3.4 Research hypothesis................................................................................................30
3.5 Research tool and sampling strategy........................................................................31
3.6 Data analysis............................................................................................................32
3.7 Reliability and validity.............................................................................................32
3.7.1 Reliability analysis..........................................................................................32
3.7.2 Validity analysis..............................................................................................32
3.8 Generalisability........................................................................................................33
3.9 Research ethics.........................................................................................................33
3.10 Limitations.............................................................................................................33
Chapter IV Results.........................................................................................................................35
4.1 Demographic information.......................................................................................35
4.2 Descriptive statistics and T test...............................................................................36
4.2.1 Consumers' evaluation on Suning’s online / offline product strategy.............37
4.2.2 Consumers' evaluation on Suning’s online / offline price strategies...............39
4.2.3 Consumers' evaluation on Suning’s online / offline promotion strategies......42
4.3 Correlation analysis..................................................................................................46
4.3.1 Product strategy and customer satisfaction.....................................................46
4.3.2 Price strategy and consumer satisfaction........................................................48
4.3.3 Promotion strategy and consumer satisfaction ...............................................50
4.4 Analysis....................................................................................................................52
4.4.1 Discussion on product strategy........................................................................52
4.4.2 Discussion on price strategy............................................................................54
4.4.3 Discussion on promotion strategy...................................................................56
4.5 Summary of this chapter..........................................................................................58
Chapter V Conclusion...................................................................................................................59
5.1 Main points..............................................................................................................59
5.2 Limitations and future research................................................................................61
5.3 Recommendation.....................................................................................................62
5.3.1 Recommendations on product differentiation strategy....................................62
5.3.2 Recommendations on price strategy................................................................63
5.3.3 Recommendations on promotion strategy.......................................................64
References.......................................................................................................................................66
Appendix I Questionnaire.............................................................................................................72
Appendix II Primary data.............................................................................................................75
List of tables
Table 1 List of bankrupt O2O startups in China in 2016.................................................................11
Table 2 Information of the research objects.....................................................................................36
Table 3 Descriptive statistics............................................................................................................36
Table 4 T test analysis results of Q1................................................................................................37
Table 5 T test analysis results of Q2................................................................................................37
Table 6 T test analysis results of Q3................................................................................................38
Table 7 T test analysis results of Q4................................................................................................39
Table 8 T test analysis results of Q5................................................................................................40
Table 9 T test analysis results of Q6................................................................................................41
Table 10 T test analysis results of Q7..............................................................................................42
Table 11 T test analysis results of Q8...............................................................................................43
Table 12 T test analysis results of Q9..............................................................................................44
Table 13 T test analysis results of Q10............................................................................................45
Table 14 Correlation analysis results of product strategy and customer satisfaction 1...................46
Table 15 Correlation analysis results of product strategy and customer satisfaction 2...................47
Table 16 Correlation analysis results of product strategy and customer satisfaction 3...................47
Table 17 Correlation analysis results of price strategy and customer satisfaction 1........................48
Table 18 Correlation analysis results of price strategy and customer satisfaction 2........................49
Table 19 Correlation analysis results of price strategy and customer satisfaction 3........................49
Table 20 Correlation analysis results of promotion strategy and customer satisfaction 1...............50
Table 21 Correlation analysis results of promotion strategy and customer satisfaction 2...............51
Table 22 Correlation analysis results of promotion strategy and customer satisfaction 3...............51
List of figures
Figure 1 O2O Market Scale in China (2011-2016)..........................................................................10
Figure 2 Percentages of Suning's online / offline revenue in its total revenue (2014-2016)...........13
List of charts
Chart 1 T test analysis results of Q1................................................................................................37
Chart 2 T test analysis results of Q2................................................................................................38
Chart 3 T test analysis results of Q3................................................................................................39
Chart 4 T test analysis results of Q4................................................................................................40
Chart 5 T test analysis results of Q5................................................................................................41
Chart 6 T test analysis results of Q6................................................................................................42
Chart 7 T test analysis results of Q7................................................................................................43
Chart 8 T test analysis results of Q8................................................................................................44
Chart 9 T test analysis results of Q9................................................................................................45
Chart 10 T test analysis results of Q10............................................................................................46
List of appendices
Appendix I Questionnaire................................................................................................................63
Appendix II Primary data................................................................................................................66
Chapter I Introduction
This chapter first introduces the research background of this dissertation by describing the development status of the related industries and enterprises in China, then it analyzes the existing problems of the industries and enterprises to point out the research significance and motivation of this research. Finally, the author has determined the research aim and objectives of this dissertation according to the research background and motivation.
1.1 Background
With the further development of e-commerce, O2O has become a kind of business model that modern retail enterprises are keen to adopt. However, this model also brings many new problems in management and marketing, such as Channel conflict. This study takes Suning as an example to discuss how retail enterprises solve the problem of channel conflict. In the 1990s, the e-commerce as the product of network development began to appear in China and rapidly infiltrated into people's daily economic activities with high efficiency, which promoted the transformation and development of China's economic landscape (Choi, Chen and Chung, 2017). According to the report, China's e-commerce market volume was 12.3 trillion yuan in 2014, and it is expected to reach 24.2 trillion yuan in 2018, of which the online retail online to offline (O2O) business grew 42.8% in 2016, which is a new force that cannot be ignored in e-commerce (Huang et al., 2017). In the future, China's commerce ministry forecasts, China's most retailers will adopt O2O business model, the rising popularity of the Internet and e-commerce make traditional retailers set up e-commerce channels and transform to multi-channel retailers (He et al., 2016). For example, Walmart has invested in YHD in China to develop its online channel, Yintai department store open Yintai mall online and Carrefour also has its online supermarket; Wanda group cooperated with Baidu, Tencent to develop its e-commerce by using its own powerful offline commercial real estate and retail store resources, integration of information to form the shopping closed loop of offline experience and shopping online (Huang, Pan and Liu, 2017). On the other hand, large Internet companies continue to implement offline strategy, optimizing the allocation of resources through investment and acquisition to promote online and offline integration (Long and Shi, 2017). Online e-commerce companies such as Alibaba has launched an offline strategy to invest in Yintai business, promoting the development of O2O business through the use of Yintai mall stores, business products and membership data (Riquelme, Román and Iacobucci, 2016). E-commerce enterprises such as Jumei, JD and Vipshop have also opened offline retail experience stores to promote the complementary development of business online and offline (Huang, Pan and Liu, 2017).
5.3.3 Recommendations on promotion strategy
Due to the need to deal with promotion activities of strong competitors, the frequency and extent of sales promotion of Suning’s online channels are often much higher than that of the offline channels, Suning’s consumers are through participating in promotional activities online to purchase cheaper products online than offline, resulting in that Suning’s business offline is under attack, to achieve O2O coordination and solve the problems of channel conflicts, Suning’s online and offline promotion strategies must be synchronized and integrated. First, from the promotion of decision-making point of view, no matter when and where sales promotion activities are carried out, the frequency and intensity of online and offline promotions should always been consistent, which does not allow online or offline channels to develop and implement a separate promotion strategy. Second, online and offline promotion activities should mutually recognize each other, coupons available online can also be used in offline shops, and the discount code available at offline stores can also be used in purchasing online. Again, considering from promotional data, the registration information, membership, level of authority, integral data information online and offline should be shared in real time, no matter in which channel products are purchased, these information can be used as a basis for concessions. Moreover, judging from the amount of promotional products, it should try to ensure that amounts of online and offline products involved in promotion are consistent, if there are some products that offline shops fail to provide, then they also allow consumers to order through in the stores, then the staff will find the products through online channels and deliver to consumers through online channels. Both online and offline channels have the responsibility and obligation to address consumers’ issues faced in Suning's promotion, including returning, counseling and so on. Third, in order to attract more consumers to consumers through the online and offline channels of Suning, Suning can carry out marketing and promotion of all-channel mode through traditional media, social media APP and WEB. The ultimate goal is to attract users to their online stores or physical stores to form effective sales orders. Finally, in traditional offline sales mode, ERP or retail management system is the information system that supports offline business. In the era of e-commerce, e-commerce platform supports the information system of online business. In order to develop O2O business, retail enterprises will meet the difficult position that both online and offline information management systems are completely independent, while O2O emphasizes the integration of online and offline channels. Therefore, the foundation of the implementation O2O must be online and offline information platform integration, Suning in the future should establish a unified O2O information management system platform for customers and supply chain management, which is very necessary. Because it is known that ERP of any traditional enterprise is unable to withstand order impact of electronic commerce condition. In the whole channel sales mode, whether from customer orders are from online or offline channels, they can be satisfied by any inventory warehouse, it must require a unified system platform of orders and inventory, . Considering service, any customer should get corresponding service and experience in any channel. All this requires a unified O2O information management system platform to meet these business requirements.
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