基于扎根理论的跨境电商品牌形象塑造研究

Research on brand image shaping of cross-border e-commerce based on grounded theory

为指导跨境电商企业更好地在海外市场塑造品牌形象,提升品牌的国际竞争力,文章基于扎根理论,以跨境电商代表性品牌SHEIN为例,对其在社交平台Instagram上发布的956张宣传图片进行内容分析。借助NVivo 11.0软件,完成201个节点编码,并以此生成34个初始范畴、11个主范畴和5个核心范畴。研究发现,基于社交媒体渠道的跨境电商品牌形象塑造,围绕产品特性、消费者形象、品牌价值表达、营销活动、服务互动五个维度展开,其中产品特性与消费者形象传播最为主要,而采用符号化语言的内容输出进一步丰富了品牌跨文化背景下的个性表达。

Cross-border e-commerce has become the fastest-growing and most promising new format for overseas trade in China.However,due to the geographical and cultural barriers,it is a challenging task for domestic cross-border e-commerce to establish a positive brand image in overseas markets.Brand image,as the collective representation of consumers’associations with a brand,plays a crucial role in brand recognition and communication.This becomes particularly significant in overseas markets,where consumers place great emphasis on brand image through highly developed social media.Thus,effectively utilizing social media for brand image shaping has turned into a necessary guarantee for the successful trade of cross-border e-commerce brands.Existing research on social media-based brand image shaping primarily revolves around the mechanisms of brand image communication,influencing factors in image shaping,and related topics.However,there is a lack of a comprehensive and unified understanding of the connotation and constituent elements of brand image.The academic community has developed various brand image models from different research perspectives,but most of these models are conceptually structured and lack empirical support specific to different industry categories.Additionally,there is inconsistency in the structural division of brand image,and the weights assigned to each structure are rarely addressed.Research on image shaping for cross-border e-commerce brands within a cross-cultural context is particularly scarce.To elucidate the constitutive dimensions and elements of brand image for cross-border e-commerce brands in China,this study first reviewed and analyzed literature on the structure and constituent elements of brand image,as well as literature on brand image shaping based on social media.This provided a theoretical framework for the composition of brand image.Next,using the well-known cross-border e-commerce brand SHEIN as the research subject,this study collected 956 brand promotional images posted on SHEIN’s official Instagram account sheinofficial.Finally,the analysis method of grounded theory was employed to guide the coding process on collected images by utilizing the qualitative analysis software of NVivo 11.0.During this process,the main dimensions,key elements,and approximate content proportions of brand image construction were extracted,and a brand image shaping model for cross-border e-commerce brands was shaped.Through the analysis of SHEIN’s brand image shaping strategies,this study identified the constitutive dimensions and key elements of brand image for cross-border e-commerce brands.The results indicate that the brand image of cross-border e-commerce includes five core dimensions:product characteristics,consumer image,brand value expression,marketing activities,and service interaction.Among them,the primary portion of brand image is occupied by descriptions of product characteristics that focus on product attributes,styles,and application scenarios,accounting for nearly 60%of content according to the case of SHEIN.The second portion is consumer image,focusing on consumer positioning and individuality,which constitutes over 30%of content.The combined content of these two dimensions exceeds 90%,representing the predominant content for cross-border e-commerce brands in shaping brand image on overseas social media.At the same time,the promotion of brand value,marketing activities,and service interaction between brands and consumers is also an effective supplement in brand image shaping,which can narrow the distance between consumers and cross-border e-commerce brands and enhance consumers’brand identity.Moreover,in the process of personalizing,localizing,and internationalizing brand image for cross-border e-commerce,symbolic and meaningful elements are extensively employed,stimulating consumer brand associations beyond visual brand recognition.This enhances a comprehensive cross-cultural output of brand image.Cross-border e-commerce brands could refer to the mentioned brand image elements and rationally combine them when shaping their brand image through overseas social media.The findings of this study provide practical guidance for other cross-border e-commerce brands in shaping their overseas brand image,aid in the high-quality construction of a positive brand image,and ensure success in overseas trade.