行銷通路與搜尋成本關係之研究－台灣汽車保險市場實證The Relationships between Marketing Channel and Search Costs

摘要
　　搜尋成本假說認為獨立代理人相較於顧客具有較佳的優勢資訊，因此能協助顧客尋找適當的保險公司投保，所以搜尋成本較高的顧客會選擇向獨立代理人投保。本文以台灣汽車保險市場為例，取得495份顧客的問卷調查資料來驗證搜尋成本假說。而實證結果顯示，搜尋成本較高的顧客確實會選擇獨立代理人投保。本文的研究結果除支持搜尋成本假說成立外，我們更進一步發現投保類型與理賠經驗會強化高搜尋成本的顧客選擇獨立代理人投保的動機。
關鍵字：獨立代理人、搜尋成本、投保類型、理賠經驗
Abstract
　　“The Search Costs Hypothesis” indicated that the independent agent who has better specialized insurance information than customers could assist thems in searching for a suitable insurance company to insure; therefore, the customers with higher search costs will choose to insure with the independent agent. This article, using the Taiwan automobile insurance market as an example, obtains 495 questionnaire surveys to test the search costs hypothesis. The empirical result shows that the customers with high search costs will buy insurance policy from an independent agent. Our result supports the search costs hypothesis. Furthermore, we discover that insurance type and the claim experiences of customers will strengthen the motive that the customers with high search costs will choose to buy insurance from independent agents.
Keywords: independent agent, search costs, insurance type, claim experiences