Abstract:
This research is aimed to study the sealed bottled water consumption behavior and to examine factors that are related to the sealed bottled water consumption behavior of consumers in Amphur Mueang, Nakhon Si Thammarat. The research findings will benefit the operating entrepreneurs and those who are interested in running sealed bottled water business so that they will be able to produce the sealed bottled water of good quality that meets consumer needs. The data was collected by questionnaires with a total of 400 samples from population living in Amphur Mueang, Nakhon Si Thammart.
The research indicates that most consumer have bought water contained in 20-liter-sealed plastic gallons; one gallon per week, for the last three years, with members of the family making the decision to buy. Relation consumption behavior to marketing mix, most consumers bought drinking water contained in blurred-white sealed plastic gallons. The reason for choosing that was the plastic containers can be returned. The second group of consumers bought sealed bottled water contained in transparent plastic containers while the last group chose colored plastic containers.
In branding aspect, most consumers considered the brand but did not specify what brand they wanted to buy. They bought the product that is easily available. In the case of specifying the brand, most consumers chose the Singha brandname because of the product quality guarantee, product appearance being clean and modern, followed by the Crystal brand for its certified quality and the ease to find the product, and the least favourites, the Nestle Pure Life brand.
In pricing aspect, the research found that consumers would continue to buy these products in the same quantity even when the prices were getting higher.
The factor that influences consumers buying decisions on the pricing aspect is the quality of drinking water. In distribution aspect, the research found that consumers always buy the drinking water from the stores near their place, followed by the delivery service, and direct purchase from the manufacturers.
The factor that most influence consumers buying decisions with respect to distribution aspect is the buying convenience. In promotion aspect, the activities that make most impact on the consumers are the sale promotion and advertising. Most consumers gained the information about the sealed bottled water from radio, television, magazines, and shop assistants respectively.
The problem that consumers faced most from drinking sealed bottled water is the quality of the product such as unclean water, murky water, unclear labels, and difficult to open and close caps. For the relationship between personal factors and sealed bottled water consumption behavior of the consumers in Amphur Mueang, Nakhon Si Thammarat, the research indicated that most personal factors are related to the sealed bottled water consumption behavior of the people.
WALAILAK UNIVERSITY. CENTER FOR LIBRARY RESOURCES AND EDUCATIONAL MEDIA