| This research looks through and observes some relevant researches both at home and abroad. With referring to the previous researches, this paper mainly bases on the theory of brand equity of Keller and Aaker to design six dimensions including popularity, quality of products, service quality, attractive looks, loyalty and brand recognition of the websites as the components of brand equity of B2C websites, by combing features of B2C e-commerce market and its development situation with behavior characteristics of customers. And then a positive research has been made through using Exploratory Factor Analysis and cutting back variable dimensions. Finally, four key factors composing of brand equity of B2C websites were put forward; the reliability and validation of the research conclusion were analyzed; and the rationality of the model was validated. This research is spread out under such background.The main contents of this article:The first part:Introduction. To introduce the research background, significance, contents, methods, innovations and deficiency. The second part: Theory and articles overview. To provide the theoretical basis for analysis the composition factors of B2C website brand asset by reviewing the related theories and records. The third part:Build the model and propose the assumption. To build the research models and propose an assumption by basing on the former study and combining the feature of B2C website and e-business markets. The fourth part: Research and design. First, introduce the work processes. Then, description the quantification of research variable, designing of questionnaire, research objects, sampling methods and sample statement in full. The fifth party:statistical analysis and hypothesis testing. To sort and analysis the data which come from the questionnaire. It contains descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability and validity testing. The sixth part:The results, suggestions and prospect. To summarize the study conclusion and discuss its significance for the marketing management of B2C website. To point out the future research direction.The result shows that the brand equity of B2C website is one complicated and multidimensional concept composed by multi elements. It mainly consists of four dimensions including perceived quality of the website, the identification of the website-loyalty, popularity of the website and attractive looks of the website and can be divided into25indexes. The perceived quality of the website mainly refers to the cognition of customers to the products and service quality of the website which includes8measurement indexes; the identification and loyalty of the website means the identification and loyalty of customers to the brand of B2C website which includes9measurement indexes; the popularity of the website refers to how much popular the B2C website is among customers which including4measurement indexes; the attractive looks of the website means how much beautiful the B2C website is in the eyes of customers which also includes4measurement indexes. The four dimensions composing the brand equity of B2C website are arranged in important order as the follows:the perceived quality of the website, the identification and loyalty of the website, the popularity of the website and the attractive looks of the website.There are some suggestions about asset management of B2C website brand equity:1.Promote the quality of website products.B2C website should pay attention to promote the quality of website products. The quality contains the products which the website sells and the service attitude of the workers of the website. Firstly, website should be enough honest. The products on the website should be described as the same as the products in the traditional shops. It would narrow the gap between the seeing and receiving. Secondly, based on the feature of communication on line, the website should communicate with customers patiently. Treat the feedback of customers seriously, and resolve the problems instantly. It would bring a good service for customers.2.Build brand and keep customers. B2C should pay attention to build the identification of the website-brand and to promote the loyalty of customer. Fist, the website could build sharp image and form own unique values based on the enterprise culture and business philosophy and business targets. The enterprise should reflect the uniqueness of its brand, which can attract the customers who recognize the brand and those who want to meet the social status and social identity and be respected by some special brands. Second, the website should meet the managements of other brands. And try its best to keep returning customers and upgrade the identity of customers.3.Build popularity of the website. B2C website brand management should build popularity of brand by many ways that can upgrade own popularity. Firstly, the website could design a profound,read well and simple for remember brand name. It would make customers know the website and brand easily. Secondly, the website should advertise in particular advertising platform to improve its popularity. So the customers could see the website advertisement in different times,different place and different occasions. It also raises the popularity of the website and its brand.4.Improve attractive looks of the website. B2C website brand management should optimize the layout of website to attractive looks of the website. Firstly, website should arrange layouts reasonably and simple the function operations, to raise the efficiency of customer’s shopping, and make them shop more easily and more happier. Secondly, it need technician to add the visual effects of website by animation,music, video and pictures etc. To keep beautiful webpage would improve the attractive looks of the website and will attract more people.The innovations:1.extend the theory of brand equity from the traditional area to the B2C e-business markets. Many study about the theory of brand equity in traditional area have done by experts. But the study about web markets, especially the B2C e-business markets area are rare. Most of the study are qualitative discussion of conceptual. This research gets four important dimensions which compose the B2C website brand asset,and extend the theory of brand equity from the traditional area to the B2C e-business markets, and add the theory of brand equity to the B2C website brand management based on the theory of brand equity and by the technology of factor analysis method with the feature of B2C e-business.2.Introduct the concept of website brand identification. The past research on the composition dimensions of brand asset have different conclusions from different angles which could contain the angle of financial accounting, the angle of marketing and the angle of customers. The study on the angle of customers shows that brand recognition, brand association, brand loyalty, brand image and perceived quality are important composition factors of the brand asset. But brand identity is proposed by less scholars. This research based on the study on brand asset and website brand asset suggest the dimensions of brand identity by combining the feature of the B2C e-business markets and customers shopping, and it has been proofed. It would be minor meaning for the research on how the theory of brand equity can be apply to B2C website brand management.The inadequacies of this article:1.The object of this study is the self-service B2C retail sites. And it does not involve the brand equity issues of platform B2C retail sites such as Taobao Mall. There are some differences between the two business models and customer groups, so the conclusion’s guiding significance to the latter may be limited.2.Due to few studies of the site of brand equity in the past and taking into account of the e-commerce market, the traditional brand equity variables, such as the dimensions of brand relationships, brand association and brand image are not included in this study. So the model of this study may be inadequate.3.In this study, sending and receiving questionnaires are online in order to expand the geographical scope of the survey. The survey mainly concentrated in the university students and staff that cannot be fully representative of the idea of the other online consumers. So the promotion of the conclusion of this study is limited.4.This study studies from the customer perspective of the B2C Web site brand equity elements, so just starting to measure the site’s brand equity from the customer’s psychological feeling. It ignores the financial, market and other aspects of the site and the study from the enterprises themselves.So the conclusion of this study may not be comprehensive.Research prospect:1.B2C retail websites of independent sales is made the object of the research. For further researches, platform-based B2C retail websites can also be studied referring to the research model and ideas, or do the comparison between the two business models.2.The research models are relatively concise, so dimensionality variables composed of chosen brand equities are few and incomprehensive. In further studies, it ought to comprehensively consider brand equity construction of the websites, management distinctiveness and the purpose and significance of the research, and discuss the impact of these variables to the brand equities of the B2C websites.3.The respondents are mostly college students and company employees, so their opinions can’t represent other website consumers’opinions. In further researches, it is necessary to take the online shopping consumers at all levels into consideration, so as to make the conclusion more instructive significance.4.This study only focused on the inscapes of the brand equities of B2C websites at the consumer’s side, and may lead to instructive but in comprehensive significance. In further researches, it is considerable to carry out the studies from other views in multi-dimension. |
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