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1左數效果及消費者人格特質對於消費品價格認知的影響Theeffectsofleft-digitphenomenonandconsumercharacteristicsontheperceptionofpricesforconsumptiongoods龔昶元朝陽科技大學企業管理系副教授李延熹朝陽科技大學應用外語系助理教授游曙吏朝陽科技大學應用外語系研究生AbstractInordertoincreasetheirsales,companiesendeavortolureandstimulateconsumerstopurchaseproductsthroughpromotionalactivities,particularlymonetarypromotions.However,notallmonetarypromotionsinfluenceconsumerstopurchaseproductsbecausedifferencesinconsumercharacteristics,suchasneedforcognition(NFC),createdifferentattitudestowardpromotions.Thequestionofwhetherconsumerstreatanine-endingpricetobecheaperthanazero-endingpricehasbeendiscussedforlong.Recentresearchesindicatethattheleft-digiteffecthasasignificantimpactontherevenueoffirms.Anumberofresearcherssuggestthatpriceswithleft-digiteffectsincreasetherevenuesofcompanies.Althoughmonetarypromotionssuchasleft-digiteffectandnine-endingpricesinfluenceconsumerstopurchasemore,NFCmaybeoneoftheimportantelementsthataffectthepurchasedecisionofconsumers.NFCasoneoftheelementsthataffectthepurchasedecisionofconsumershasbeenrobustlydiscussed;thisstudyinvolvesafurtherresearchofthequestionofwhetherNFCinfluencesconsumerswhoareaffectedbytheleft-digiteffect.ConsumerswithhighandlowNFCexhibitdifferentpurchasingbehaviors.Inotherwords,differentlevelsofNFCcauseconsumerstoselectdifferentproducts.Differentconsiderationsandattitudestowardconsumptioncanbeclassifiedintohighandlowpricecognition.ThisresearchinvestigatestheviewpointthatdifferentmonetarypromotionscausedifferentperceptionsofpricebecauseofdifferentlevelsofNFCamongconsumers.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,thequestionnairesurveymethodis2employed.Fourhundredandfiftynineundergraduateuniversitystudents,135malesand314femalesintheagegroupof17to25,fromtheDepartmentofBusinessAdministrationparticipatedinthesurvey.Theresultsofthestudyprovidethefoundationfortheframework.WefindthatdifferentlevelsofNFCaffectthepurchasinginclinationofconsumers.Notallleft-digiteffectsencourageconsumerstopurchaseproducts;left-digiteffectsinfluenceconsumersonlyiftheyhavealowNFC.High-NFCconsumerstendnottobeaffectedbyleft-digiteffect.Keywords:Left-digiteffect,NFC,promotionIntroductionInordertoincreasetheirsales,differentcompaniesendeavortostimulateandlureconsumerstopurchasetheirproductsthroughpromotionalactivities,particularlymonetarypromotion.AccordingtoKotler(2003),McCarthyclassifiedmarketingtoolsintofourgroups,namely,product,price,place,andpromotion.Promotioncomprisessalespromotion,advertising,salesforce,publicrelations,anddirectmarketing.Manycompaniesusepromotionalactivitiestostimulateconsumerstopurchasetheirproductsbecauseconsumersliketopurchaseproductswhenpromotionaloffersareprovidedbycompanies.However,differentconsumersmaybeinfluencedbydifferenttypesofmonetarypromotionsonaccountofdifferentconsumercharacteristics,suchasNFC;thisdifferencemaycausethemtohavedifferentattitudestowardpromotionalactivities.Numerousresearchers(ThomasandMorwitz,2005;Coulter,2001;AndersonandSimester,2003)haveresearchedtheleft-digiteffectandnine-endingorodd-endingprice.Researchershavefoundthatconsumerstendtopurchaseproductsiftheyperceivethatthepriceisonecentlower(e.g.,$2.99vs.$3.00).Furthermore,consumersreadthedigitsofapricefromlefttoright;therefore,theyarelikelytounderestimatetheprice(Coulter,2001).Althoughmonetarypromotionsuchasleft-digiteffectandnine-endingpriceaffectsconsumers,therebyleadingthemtoincreasethequantityofproductspurchased,NFCmaybeoneoftheimportantelementsthataffectthepurchasedecisionofconsumers.NFCisthetendencyforpeopletoengageinaswellasenjoythinking;furthermore,NFCfocusesontheorientationofconsumerstowardmotivation.ConsumerswithhighorlowNFCwilldisplaydifferentconsumerbehaviors.Inotherwords,NFCinfluencesconsumersintheirselectionofproducts.Suchfactorisimportanttomarketersbecausetheyaffectthereactionsofconsumerstomarketingstrategies.3Alargenumberofcompaniesadoptvariousmeasuresinordertoencourageconsumerstopurchasetheirproductsthroughmonetarypromotion;however,differenttypesofmonetarypromotionmightinfluenceindividualconsumersdifferently.Onthebasisofthedifferentelementsunderconsiderationandattitudestowardconsumption,consumptioncanbeclassifiedintohighandlowpricecognitions.Therefore,thisstudyclassifiesconsumersintotwodifferentlevelsofpricecognitions:highandlow.Bearingthisclassificationinmind,researchingsuchmarketbehaviorproducesthequestionofwhetherdifferentkindsofmonetarypromotionaffectthepricecognitionofconsumersduetodifferentlevelsofNFC.Thisresearchaidscompaniesinunderstandingthemannerinwhichthemostsuitablepricepolicycanbedecideduponfordifferenttypesofconsumers.LiteratureReview1.Left-digitEffectThisstudyaimstoinvestigatewhetherconsumersperceivepriceswithalowerleftdigittobealotlowerthanpriceswiththesameleftdigit(e.g.,$230and$199vs.$240and$200).Theleft-digiteffectcanbedefinedasfollows:“Theleft-digiteffectreferstotheobservationthatusinganine-endingversusazero-endingprice,forexample,$2.99versus$3.00,changestheleft-mostdigit…”(ThomasandMorwitz,2005).Monroe(2003)indicatedthatconsumersdonotnoticesmallpricechanges.Anders