Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the associations between the different education background of young female consumers, with and without medical education, and their buying behavior in the chain cosmeceutical shop based on concept of E.K.B. model ( Engel, Blackwell and Kollatt model ) , the decision making process model ( Engel, Blackwell and Kollatt ,1993) . Design: The study was empirically tested using data collected from 365 questionnaires answered by the female consumers in big Kaohsiung area. The structural equation modeling technique was used to evaluate the causal model and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model. Additionally, the linear regression was used to test the null hypothesis. Measurement: Questionnaire administered items measuring the buying behavior of young female consumers, store selection and consumer behavior, the satisfaction of chain cosmeceutical stores, the professional image of pharmacists and life style, in chain cosmeceutical stores. Results: The findings indicated that the satisfaction of chain cosmeceutical stores, the professional image of pharmacists, life style and educational background significantly affected the store selection and consumer buying behavior. Conclusion: This study provides a means to understand what factors impact on the young females¡¦ buying behavior in chain cosmeceutical stores and how this may affect their future consumption. In addition, this study reveals marketing implications relevant for chain cosmeceutical stores considering consumer segmentation of young females, and applies this customer segmentation as marketing strategy.

Medical cosmeceutical business, combining medical and cosmetic profession, is considered one of the booming sectors among self-provided services under the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. In the past, dermatological clinics had the advantages of medical profession; however, without strict law restrictions, numerous medical ¡§cosmeceutical centers¡¨ have emerged rapidly and intensified the market competition significantly. This research investigated and analyzed the current status of medical cosmeceutical industry in detail by collecting the second source data and studying the case of C Dermatological Clinic. The SWOT and five-force analysis are used to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of C Dermatological Clinic, thereby, business strategies are provided. The results indicate that minimally invasive treatment is the trend of medical cosmeceutical business in the future. Due to the excellent location, professional medical teams, advanced equipments, individual proprietorship and strong marketing task force, C Dermatological Clinic, has built up a great reputation in this industry and now provides its customers total solution packages by incorporating plastic surgeon into the services. Catching the opportunities of the continuous progress in biotechnology and growing public awareness of cosmeceutical therapy, C Dermatological Clinic has successfully become one of the most important players in the growing medical cosmeceutical market. However, after the Taiwan high speed rail in operating (which broke the entry barrier of distance between cities), the threats of new entrants including medical laser suppliers, cosmetic or salon shops, and other special medical institutes, the medical cosmeceutical market becomes more competitive. Facing the emerging medical tourism demand and the pervasion of internet, We suggest that C Dermatological Clinic should aggressively improve its weaknesses such as poor computer knowledge, lack of service attitude and bad decision quality, strengthen its customer service training, pay more attention to the customer relationship management, make best use of internet to promote the clinic, and ally with tourist bureaus or hotels to expand its share in this market and develop a sustainable business model.

The top trend prophet, Naisbitt (1990), mentioned that the increasing and expanding numbers of chain alliance stores will transform the future society, and thus service industry is going to be the mainstream in economic society. ¡§Convenience¡¨ and ¡§Quality¡¨ are two points for consumers¡¦ tendencies. The franchise brand (chain alliance) is the most successful marketing conception ever in the history, and it would even become the dominating business models in 21st century. To cope with the coming era of Self-Prevetion and Self-Medication, the local cosmeceutical access stimulates the OTC (OTC Over-the-counter) growth in the market, which leads the cosmeceutical stores gradually toward the professional position. Moreover, under the impact of the modernized marketing channel, traditional drugstores have headed for OTC, compounding, and big-scale tendencies. Analyzing the total drugstores numbers from 1995 to 2005, the figure has reduced from 13,000 to 7,000. The keen competition of the cosmeceutical stores can be seen by this. The cosmeceutical staff is mostly come from apothecary. How chain cosmeceutical industry clutch the ¡§right business direction¡¨ has always been the sensitive issue to break through. When considering several factors, like profit business, competitor challenges, and consumers¡¦ tendencies, how the chain cosmeceutical merchants seize their dominating core abilities (key successful factors) is the main purpose of this study. This study takes chain cosmeceutical as study target. At the first stage, 258 selected storekeepers are invited to fill out the expert questionnaires to make the analysis of the eight measurement structures and 63 business elements (evaluation standards), and then extract seven structures and 35 related the key successful factors of related chain cosmeceutical business management. At the second stage, 15 renowned managers of chain cosmeceutical are asked to finish the expert questionnaires to explore the importance and the priority of these key successful factors by using AHP. The AHP study structure validation result shown that, no matter what the business forms are, the co-recognized most significant business factor in measurement target is the ¡§business faith and scale economy¡¨ --- the credit values of head quarter (brand images), and the next is the ¡§relationship between business planning and supply merchants¡¨ --- the renovation of business contents. In the 35 evaluation index of the third level of AHP study structure, the most significant index is ¡§renovate the business faith, and design the service process fitting customers¡¦ requirement,¡¨ and the next are ¡§the head quarter¡¦s abilities of purchasing, bargaining, and supplying, the pharmacist councils and the products descriptions, the system of bringing new fashionable products, the head quarter¡¦s education training and supporting abilities, the head quarter¡¦s credit values (brand images), and the selection of store location and region.¡¨ In other words, the corporations would establish the dominating credit values (brand images) through customers¡¦ identification and set up the appearance position by continually renovating business faith. The next is head quarter¡¦s abilities of purchasing, bargaining, and supplying, designation of the service process fitting customers¡¦ requirement, and head quarter¡¦s education training and supporting abilities. And finally measure the service quarantine and reliability and the pharmacist councils and the products descriptions. The relatively low stresses are storekeeper¡¦s ability of communication, the head quarter¡¦s electronic degree, professional staff training system, unique corporation culture, and the issuance of VIP card and member card.