earticle

영어

Several consumer goods markets are characterized by packages that simultaneously offer different sized quantities of the same product. Marketers of consumer packaged goods such as beer and snack often offer several package sizes of the same product and charge a lower unit price for a larger size. Many researchers and marketing managers assume that larger package sizes with lower unit price encourage consumers to buy more than smaller package sizes with relatively high unit price. Customer pursuing utility maximization really wants to buy same product by lower unit price in spite of big quantity sized package. We can easily find some nondurable consumer products sailing at different sized packages at different unit price. Several theoretical and experimental studies have examined some topics like how much would change in consumer preference for different package sizes (Granger and Billson, 1972), whether a package's size influences usage volume (Wansink, 1996). Recently, Price discrimination by volume discounts have been studied in the area of nonlinear pricing. Some researchers like Cohen (2002, 2008) have tried to explain price discrimination by package with quantity discount in the paper towel industry. Although the importance of package size to increase profit and sales is well documented, the attempts to compare the optimal package sizes and prices to uniform price have been rare in the marketing area. We just recently can acquire related paper by Gu and Yang (2010) in marketing journal. In the article, we investigate the quantity discount (nonlinear pricing) effect and calculate how package size provide maximum profit, which package types make better profit, and what is the price structure of each package size and types. Such a nonlinear pricing schedule is commonly viewed as a price discrimination tool. In this article, we investigate the quantity-discount effect induced by nonlinear pricing. We propose a model framework composed of conjoint measurement to estimate individual price response function, and calculation procedure to compare consumer surplus among three packaging types (only unit plan, only package plan, package and unit plan). Quantity discount and price bundling were examined to make framework and logic. The model is to calculate optimal package sizes and we performed survey to confirm the model. In survey, data were collected from 128 customers of instant coffee mix through conjoint measurement. The survey results as follow. Only unit and only package plan are produced relatively lower profit than ‘package and unit plan’ which provide enough opportunity to customers who has different reservation price structure. Empirical research revealed that package and unit plan could make profit more 7.59% than only unit plan which could not give a chance to customers to utilize lower price by buying large quantity at all. Similarly, only package plan have unexpectedly restricted some consumers who needed to buy only small quantity in order to cultivate higher profit. In the only package plan, only 39 customers could buy so big package with lower unit price. Other customers could not purchase the product since the package was extremely larger than they could buy. Customers who need only small amount didn’t have any positive consumer surplus from buying large package with lower unit price. This paper emphasize that companies providing nondurable consumer packaged goods are able to take a chance making larger profit using the procedure which can calculate how many volume should put together in a package and what is the optimal price. Main contribution of the paper is that marketing practitioners wandering making optimal package and price can easily use the procedure. Future researches on the package size in the context of profit maximization should consider several related costs like inventory, transaction, or restocking costs lowered for larger sized packages. The main results of the empirical study were discussed.

한국어

최적포장량을 어떻게 결정해야 하는지는 매출과 이익에 직접 관련되어 있으므로 실무적으로 매우 민감하고, 중요한 마케팅의사결정문제이다. 이 연구는 최적 포장량 결정을 위한 분석틀을 제시하고, 이를 활용한 포장의사결정이 이익에 공헌할 수 있는지를 실증분석을 통해 확인하였다. 이 연구에서는 낱개로 판매될 때, 포장으로만 판매될 때, 포장과 낱개로 모두 판매될 때 등 세 가지 포장유형을 대상으로 이익의 크기를 비교하였다. 여기에 더하여 최적가격, 구매하는 고객의 수 등 포장의 시장반응에 대한 추가적인 분석을 시도하였다. 이 연구는 이전의 연구들과는 달리 포장이 기업의 이익을 창출할 수 있는 가격전략적 도구가 될 수 있다는 관점에서 연구하였다. 소비비내구재인 커피믹스를 대상으로 한 실증연구의 결과 포장은 낱개로 판매할 때 보다 이익 창출력이 있었으며, 포장과 낱개로 판매될 때의 이익은 낱개로만 판매될 때보다 높았고, 포장으로만 판매될 때보다도 통계적으로 높은 이익이 창출되었다. 이 연구는 포장이 기업이익을 증가시키는데 유용한 전략으로 활용될 수 있으며, 전략적으로 유용하게 활용하기 위해서는 최적포장량과 최적 포장가격, 낱개가격이 추정되어야 하고, 이러한 추정을 위한 분석틀이 제안될 필요성을 지적하였다. 이 연구는 포장의 마케팅적 역할을 가격전략 및 이익극대화 관점에서 논의하면서, 구체적인 분석틀을 제안한 공헌이 있다고 사료된다.