The Effects of Design Formativeness on Consumer Satisfaction and Word-of-mouth Intention of Compact Car Brand Headlights

Design is an important factor in the compact car market beyond economic feasibility and practicality, especially headlights that determine the first impression of the vehicle and greatly influence the brand image. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of design formativeness applied to the headlights of compact car brands on consumer satisfaction and word-of-mouth intention. To this end, case studies and empirical studies were conducted on major domestic compact car models, and structural equation model were used for the data collected through the survey. As a result of the study, it was found that formative factors such as form, size, and space of compact car headlights had a positive effect on consumer satisfaction, and this satisfaction led to positive word-of-mouth intentions of consumers. On the other hand, the material factor had no significant effect. This result suggests that compact car manufacturers should emphasize visual elements and move toward improving the consumer experience when developing design strategies. In addition, it was confirmed that there is a need to strengthen strategies to promote positive word-of-mouth by efficiently allocating design resources. In conclusion, in order to secure competitiveness in the compact vehicle market, a strategic approach that considers design originality and technical efficiency at the same time is needed, and it will be important to consider customized marketing strategies that consider the characteristics and strengths of each vehicle.