It is undeniable that the popularity of investing in oil companies such as gas stations has increased in recent years. This is because the market for new cars in Thailand has grown since the pandemic. Today, it is undeniable that there is increasing popularity of gas stations in Thailand over the years.
This is a consequence of the new car market that has expanded after the pandemic. The Department of Land Transport announced that during the first half of 2021, the number of new car registrations with red labels increased by 4.2%. With reference to Table 1.1, we can clearly see that the number of new car registrations with red labels is increasing in the majority region in Thailand.
Thus, this is an opportunity for service stations to increase the number of Petrol service stations and thus meet the growing demand. This comes to the claim of the problem that people who have their own cars always have their own ways of choosing a gas station.
Research Objectives and Questions
Increasing customer demands and lifestyle changes are causing changes in retail.
Research Method
Scope of Research
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Overview of Petrol industry
- Petrol station management
- Petrol industry in Thailand
- The market share for petrol industry
- Theoretical background
The first time in Thailand, on behalf of the crown symbol, later received the royal seal of the store (Garuda brand) from His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. In 2021, the ranking of the largest oil trading brands in the country was led by PTT Public Company Limited with a market share of 41%. According to research by Putra, one of the most important variables influencing a customer's decision towards a brand is product quality.
One of the key drivers affecting the engine's performance is the quality of the fuel. This result of the study shows that the better the promotion, the more positive the purchase decision of customers. This service may include car window cleaning, car care, toilet cleanliness, restaurants, mini markets, car service and others (Khumpuang, 2002).
When it comes to customers, it is their perception of the quality of service offered that determines success. Customers perceive service in terms of the quality of the service they receive and whether or not they are satisfied with their experiences (Gil, 2008).
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
- Research aim
- Research questions
- Theoretical Framework
- Research design
- Data Collection
This study is a quantitative research using the theoretical framework to generalize the various factors that influence consumer preference in choosing petrol stations in Thailand. Then, using surveys to collect data, as well as analyze the factors that influence consumer preference. As we made assumptions about the factors that influence consumer preference in choosing a gas station in Thailand, we designed a questionnaire to study all these factors.
The purpose of this questionnaire is to investigate "Customers' preference in choosing petrol stations in Thailand". The questionnaire survey is divided into four main parts; screening questions, psychographic questions, factors and demographics of the respondents. Screening questions are designed to filter out those responses that do not fit into our sampling plan.
The last part is the demographic data of the respondents which is designed to obtain the demographic information of the respondents. The questionnaire survey helps understand consumer behavior in choosing gas stations and create a good marketing strategy.
FINDINGS
- Respondents
- Screening question (142 respondents)
- Demographic Question (131 respondents)
- General Question (131 respondents)
- Test of Difference
- Mean Analysis
The results are that the PTT station is the gas station that the respondents go to most often at 45% of the total respondents or 59 people. The second gas station that is going the most is that of Esso, with 18.3% of the total respondents or 24 people. The third gas station is Shell, which accounts for 15.3% of the total respondents or 20 people.
However, the gas station that the respondents rarely visit is the Susco station, which accounts for 0.8% of the total number of respondents or only 1 person. For the general question 5 is to know when the respondents have to go to the gas station. The result is that most of the respondents who chose the gas station because of location weighed 33.6% of the total number of respondents or 44 people.
This table clearly shows the significant difference that women prefer to go to the gas station based on the location they consider important with an average score of 3.7439. With the average score of 3.4808 that they prefer to go to the gas station they know, this is due to brand trust. The highest average score comes from the question “Location of the gas station is important to me”, namely 3.7424.
With the highest mean score of 3.5128 in the question that they are very aware about choosing a gas station brand, they give a necessity in choosing a gas station brand. With the highest average score of 3.7241, in the question that they are very conscious about choosing a gas station brand. Moreover, people who go to gas stations once a week agree on price and promotion as they prefer to go to the gas station that has a free bottle of water, with an average score of 2.9180.
People who have only 1 car agree on the importance of location, with the average score of 3.1646 in the question that they prefer to go to the gas station that is unique. People agree that they prefer to go to the gas station based on the location of convenience. Along with the question from the same variable asking that "I prefer to go to a gas station that has good management", which gets a corresponding mean score of 3.6769.
The third highest-scoring statement comes from the location construct, which is "Location of the gas station is important to me." For the fifth highest statement is again from the quality-of-service construct, this is the statement that says that the overall image of the gas station is important.
CONCLUSION
Target Market & customers
Discussion and recommendation
- Location
- Service quality
- Brand trust
- Quality of product
- Price and promotion
In addition, since location is one of the most important factors in consumer preference, a business owner must make sure that consumers can easily identify their location. Google Maps acts as a search engine to find the location of the business that users are looking for and as a map to guide people there. The next factor that can influence consumer preference when choosing a service station is service quality.
This is because good management can create a consumer impression, and the image of the gas station can create a good experience for the consumer. According to the finding, the statement that received the highest means, among others, is the question of this factor that says that "I think a clean toilet is one of the most important services I am concerned about". Consequently, the business owner should give their toilet the essentials and try to clean it as the cleanliness of the toilet can also be a good quality of the gas station's service.
This is because they believe that the brand is related to the product quality, in this case the gas station brand is related to the quality of fuels. Customers may repurchase a product if they feel that the quality of the product meets their expectations and the product is safe (Amron, 2018). It is thus important to spread the good image of the brand to the consumer.
Therefore, the business owner must be careful about the complete interaction about the service and product in the gas station. They must maintain the standard of the gas station brand to maintain consumer brand trust. Because the retail of the specific brand of gas station is one of the influential parts that can represent the brand image and also link to the brand trust.
People in Thailand also place importance on fuel efficiency; therefore, some respondents prefer premium fuels. The quality of gasoline is one of the main factors that determine engine performance. Some good examples of gas station brands that promote the quality of their products are Exxonmobil.
Conclusion
Although, the business owner could not control the price of oil, but the promotion is still essential. It is essential for the business owner to advertise or make the campaign more frequent and more visible to attract the consumer. People in Thailand also become familiar with the gas stations they are relevant to.
But most importantly, how they can compete with rivals in their area. Different areas may have different consumer characteristics and they cannot rely only on their good locations to create their success, they also have to worry about returning customers.
LIMITATION AND FUTURE RESEARCH
Limitation
Suggestions for Future Research
In the next study, “Cleanliness” should be added as another factor, distinct from the “Service Quality” factor. Because the cleanliness of the gas station can be one of the essential purchasing preferences of consumers. The next study should include other factors that influence purchasing preference, such as Petrol's Coffee Shop, as some consumers regularly go to the gas station and buy a cup of coffee.
FACTOR INFLUENCING CUSTOMERS' USE OF AN ONLINE SHOPPING PLATFORM FOR BUYING COSMETICS: A CASE STUDY OF PEOPLE IN BANGKOK. The effect of E-WOM, brand trust, and brand ambassador on purchase decisions on the online shopping site tokopedia. THE EFFECT OF PRODUCT QUALITY, SERVICE QUALITY AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAM ATTITUDE ON RETAIL CUSTOMER ATTITUDES.
