This research uses qualitative methods through in-depth interviews to show a perspective of Thai women. The objective of this research is to explore the purchasing decisions of Thai women in different age groups which have been influenced by the Korean wave.
INTRODUCTION 1
- Problem Statement 1
- Research Objectives 2
- Scope of Study 3
- Theoretical Backbone 3
- Contribution of the Study 3
Study whether the three age groups of Thai women have different or similar purchasing decision-making activities. Investigate Thai women's purchasing decision influenced by Korean culture to purchase Korean products and services.
LITERATURE REVIEW 4
Definition Term 4
Theoretical Background 4
There are many factors of consumer buying decision, that's why there are so many research papers to find out about consumer buying decisions in different scenarios.
Conceptual Framework 6
- Culture 6
- Reference groups 8
- Opinion leader 8
- Value 9
- Social 9
Korean government established the Culture and Content Agency in 2001 under the purview of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Shim 2006). It is also considered as the basic types of culture that have the ability to be adapted to any cultures. The meaning is that culture shares in something with the group and usually only within a group.
The fact that a frame of reference created by groups must operate in the same frame as the group they belong to is "long accepted". People who have the ability to influence opinions, attitudes and beliefs, motivate and bring others are opinion leaders and those people always known in the spread of the "innovation model" which tries to describe how creativity and training explore within and between the group (Roger, 2003). However, in the use of opinion leaders, we must apply some techniques otherwise it may be a disadvantage of the cause; for example, if a celebrity does not present the correct message, this can cause great public damage, moreover, the value of the message that a celebrity was endorsing would be diminished (Erdogan, Baker, & Tagg, 2001) .
Dichter (1966) recommended that handling the product type is more beneficial consideration on word-of-mouth consideration, further research by the author studied opinion leadership that correlated between product involvement and other variables (Reynolds and Darden 1971; . Summers 1970).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 10
Research method uses 10
Decodes her answer, takes in Encodes her answer, takes into account her own assumptions/ takes into account her own assumptions/.
Data Collection 12
Does it have any influence when watching Korean dramas and making a decision to buy the products and/or services. From the interview research found that all 3 age groups of Thai women have used the social network as an opinion maker to make the decision to purchase products. According to the definition of "influence", the powerful social reference that is an influence on individuals is family and friends (Mitra Reiss and Capella 1999).
Korean celebrities were identified as a very powerful reference group for motivated Thai women to make a decision to purchase the products and services. Two age groups of 15 to 25 and 26 to 35 showed strong dependence on Internet available through the Internet before purchasing the products. Thai women aged 36 to 45 were found to be more concerned about family opinion before deciding to buy the products.
For Thai women aged 26 to 35 and 36 to 45 were concerned about social recognition because this group earned disposable income themselves, so they were willing to buy the products according to social trends.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 15
The Result of Culture influence 15
Media networks of culture (Lee, 2011), which have recently influenced the social networking sites and have had a lot of influence on the media in terms of acceptance of cultures and products featured in the media. A cultural wave, as defined by Mariani (2008), has impacted product purchasing and interest in Korean culture as well as travel to South Korea at locations shown in the media. This mainly affects teenagers who have a high appreciation and exposure to certain aspects of Korean culture, such as TV dramas, K-pop, games; As a result, they embrace everything within Korean culture, including Korean products and people (Mariani, 2008).
Culture has influenced the consumers' lifestyle and shopping decisions, research has discovered that most Thai women have changed their lifestyle norms from Thai drama to more Korean drama. They imitated what was portrayed on the media, such as eating Korean foods and Korean ginseng. The following are responses from Thai women in three age groups about cultural influences of purchase decisions on Korean products and services, such as traveling to South Korea when watching TV drama series.
I watch Korean TV drama series that show traditional Korean food, so I would like to try Korean food at Korean restaurant.
The Result of Reference group 16
34;I often go shopping with friends and family, I believed those people if I saw the results of the product they use" (Age 26-35). I like to shop alone, but if I find good products, I will recommend them to my friends and my friends believe me too". I like to be beautiful like a Korean celebrity; so I use Korean products like facials and any brand of cosmetics I can see results from."
I went to see the Korean pop singer in South Korea because I like the famous name Park Jung Hee. (Age 36-45). In previous research it was found that overall self-confidence can lead to product and brand motivation among reference group members (Locander and Hermann 1979). I usually shop with my family like my husband and parent because my family and my husband would recommend the products to use like good Korean restaurant or good Korean ginseng.
The Result of Opinion leader 17
Based on an interview process with three different age groups of women, the author has divided distinctive characteristics of each factor into five elements: culture, value, opinion leader, references and social influence. Two age groups of 15 to 25 and 26 to 35 thought more about cultural expressions such as “K-pop and traditional clothing such as “Hanbok cloth”. All three age groups showed behavioral changes in lifestyle, switching from Thai drama to watching Korean drama.
All three age groups showed strong enthusiasm for Korean celebrities and indicated that they would like to travel to South Korea to watch the Korean filming scene. However, the 26 to 35 and 36 to 45 age groups were willing to buy a product based on the quality of the product if the price is not too high. They need acceptance and respect among people in the family and society, which is a promising requirement for this age group.
There is limited information on Thai women in three different age groups to identify how they decided to purchase Korean products and services.
The Result of Value influence 18
- Quality 18
- Price 18
The Result of Social influence 19
This study examines the influences that affect different age groups of Thai women's purchase decision towards Korean wave, the responses collected and the resulting analysis would be beneficial for Thai companies and the Thai Culture Department of Promotion to choose the solid strategic consideration direction in a highly competitive manner . market. On the other hand, ages 36 to 45 considered things like Korean food and Korean ginseng. Most of Thai women in three age groups they looked for celebrities to endorse were willing to buy a product that was in trend to satisfy their emotional desires.
Interview research showed that Thai women between the ages of 15 and 25 do not worry much about social recognition because they were still studying and did not earn an income on their own. Celebrities are a powerful reference to these age groups as teen culture or teen club of favorite Korean superstar. These age groups are in a working environment and therefore need respect; credibility and confidentiality to support their professional career, which means that their appearance can provide a personality towards social status and identity.
The influence of the culture has meant a lot to their business as we have seen the result of the Korean wave that influences Thai women to buy Korean products and services such as "ETUDE brand" cosmetics instead of buying Thai cosmetics, so Thai entrepreneurs should find out what culture can turn those targets into their customers.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 20
Opinion leader 20
The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods are complementary and can hardly be used separately (Jones, 1988). Although an in-depth interview can reflect the complexity of the topic being investigated, the author found that it would take some time for the questionnaire to receive a response and that interviewees would have to end the interview even though the interview was not yet over. Moreover, the interview was conducted in English, but the interviewees are Thai, so they have limited communication and language barriers that would require the interviewer to spend more time translating after the interview.
The author should also notice the body language of the respondent to use the interpretation of the answer. While asking an open-ended question that allowed the interviewees to individually shape their answer, they had to elaborate on the answer because they wanted to end the interview quickly. As a consequence of the result, the author tries to elaborate and finish the questions and drop all the repeated questions.
I am willing to do this research and understand that I will not be paid for my participation. I can decline to answer any questions I don't feel comfortable answering or end the interview. I was informed by the interviewer that this research has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Pornkasem Kantamara, a professor at the College of Management, Mahidol University.
Value 21
Social influence 21
Due to the difference in generations in each age group, other factors also play into their purchasing decision. The last groups from 36 to 45 years old indicated that the social recognition factor was a factor that influenced the shopping decision. Somehow, they believe the family's opinion can help inform her purchasing decision.
Recommendation 22
- Future recommendation 22
- Thai Entrepreneurs 23
When conducting an in-depth interview, the author should try to avoid the biases that may arise when asking the question. In addition, non-verbal language is also important to the interviewer because it can have meaning, for example if the respondent laughs and can mean that he or she answered a personal question awkwardly. How social influence influences consumption trends in emerging markets: an empirical investigation of the consumption convergence hypothesis.
Measuring Power and Satisfaction in Societies in Societies with Opinion Leaders: Dictor and Opinion Leader Properties. I hereby know that I will be one of 10 respondents to do this research project called Thematic Paper which is designed to gather information about the academic purpose. I can withdraw and stop interviews at any time I feel uncomfortable with the question without penalty.
I have read and understood the above condition given to me and if I did not understand any condition clearly, I got explanation from the interviewer also in Thai language.
Limitation 23
