본 논문은 상품 구매에 있어서 개인 간 거래 이용자의 차별화된 특성을 일반 온라인 쇼핑 이용자와의 비교분석을 통해 살펴보고자, 2016~2021년간의 조사 자료를 토대로 로짓모형의 추정을 통해 분석하였다. 이용자 특성을 인구통계학적 특성, 정보통신기기 및 서비스 이용 관련 특성, 그리고 제품구매 성향에 관련된 특성 등의 측면에서 살펴보았다. 그 결과 개인 간 거래는 상대적으로 젊은 층 이용이 많았고, 온라인 쇼핑과는 달리 개인소득이 아닌 가구소득에만 영향을 받으며, 여성이 특별히 많이 이용하지 않고 있고, 무직자의 이용이 많은 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 차이점은 개인 간 거래에서의 중고거래와 직거래 비중과 관련된다. 또한 두 채널의 이용자 모두 모바일 플랫폼 서비스의 이용을 주된 기반으로 하는 만큼, 정보통신 기기 및 서비스 이용 관련 특성은 유사하게 나타났다. 제품구매에서의 성향과 관련해서는 개인 간 거래 이용자는 중고거래 위주인 만큼 최신상품에 여부에 대해 가치를 두지 않는 대신, 디자인이나 색상 등 겉으로 보이는 부분에 가치를 두는 것이 차별적 특징으로 나타났다. 또한 온라인 쇼핑몰 이용자는 제품에서 필요한 기능 외의 추가적 기능에 가치를 두지만, 개인 간 거래 이용자에게는 그런 특성이 나타나지 않았다. 이처럼 개인 간 거래 이용자는 인구통계학적 특성이나 제품구매 성향에 있어서 온라인 쇼핑몰 이용자와 많은 차이가 있으며, 이는 개인 간 거래의 주된 소비층과 소비성향을 반영하는 것으로 볼 수 있다. 이러한 이용자의 특성에 대한 파악은 개인 간 거래를 위한 모바일 플랫폼 서비스의 지속적 발전을 위해 필요한 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.
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.