The Product The product concept is to create a soap and detergent that repels all insects, especially mosquitos, spiders and termites. The insect quantity is a large problem in humid areas such as in Asian countries and during a flood situation their numbers seem to multiply. The product would be usable on skin and also for washing clothes in order to give double protection. From the findings below, the most probable form (solid,liquid), target market and attributes will be determined. The Buyer Behaviour in General Thailand shares a division of traditional and modern trade.
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The so called “wet-markets” that are found all over different areas are still a popular method for buying the daily household needs (Gorton 2). The majority of people using wet-markets is the older generation who seek to keep to their habits. Another common factor for shopping at wet-markets is for product freshness. The product concept at hand however is not dependant on freshness and therefore can be marketed in the more modern trade trend. Thailand was hit by a so-called “supermarket-boom’’ due to urbanisation and rising incomes which has had a large effect on the change in buyer habits (Gorton 2-3).
Today, buyers have a variety of shops to choose from (conveniance stores, supermarkets, petrol stations and wet-markets) which also leads to a variety of ways to distribute the product. Concerning some general factors about buyer behaviour the following data was taken from The International Journal of Marketing Studies and can be connected to the more urbanized form of life and the underlying collectivist attitudes of the Thai people. The majority of people are more likely to go shopping after working hours when they can spend more time to choose their products (Suwanvijit 67).
Transportation is made easy by the availability of motorbikes and taxis. Shoppers tend to shop more together with friends and family then alone. They tend to search for product variety, quality and low prices which can be found in the larger outlets (Suwanvijit 68). These are the general facts that need to be taken into account when deciding on the distribution tactic and promotion methods. The next section will focus more the product specifically and conclude the essential target group. Observations and Survey Observations were made in the popular supermarket, Tesco.
The aim was to see how people shop especially in the soap and detergent sector. The following observations relevant to the buying behaviour were found: Shoppers tend to be either families, single women or groups of male friends. Male shoppers tend to take more time deciding on soaps and detergents, ask for assistance and read the details provided on the back side. Single female shoppers seem to share a more habitual buying behaviour with more determination and quick choice. In families the female shopper again will be the decisionmaker and again shows a habitual buying behaviour.
Considering detergents, the chosen products were mainly liquid form and suitable for hand washing. That links to an important trend that many Thai wash their clothes without the aid of a washing machine. When designing the product this should be kept in mind. Again, shoppers tend to buy liquid form soaps but some elderly chose soap bars. Watching the way they chose, female shoppers bought quite quickly whereas males would take much longer. These observations lead to important concepts to consider when choosing target market and making a promotional plan.
The main aspects are, female shoppers tend to have the deciding power, female shoppers exert habitual buying behaviour and the majority of shoppers don’t go alone shopping which means word-of-mouth is an important property in influencing choice. When conducting a questionnaire/interview the interest was more on specific buying behaviour of the respondents. Some trends were very popular. To start, almost all respondants do not buy soap or detergent more than 3 times a month and the location is usually Tesco or another shopping mall.
This will have a great influence when distributing the product and the the quantity needed to satisfy the market. When asked if they tend to buy the same soap/detergent everytime they go shopping the observation made before becomes apparent. Soap/detergent buying behaviour is habitual and thus very effective and attractive in-store marketing should be made to attract buyers to switch. Another important aspect was to find out exactly what buyers find important when buying either a soap or detergent. Surprisingly enough, hygene was not number one in all cases. More attention was given to price, smell, quality and the liquid form.
When asked to estimate a price for the product at hand respondants varied from the smallest of 20THB to 200THB but all in all the average outcome was 75THB. Some respondants were not so keen on trying out the product or answered “maybe”for their health concerns. Many respondants thought a product like the one examined would be highly chemical and said assurance should be given to buyers that it is 100% safe and natural. These outcomes and comments were very helpful as the next step will be to design a marketing program where all opinions stated before (price, distribution and promotion) will be taken into account for a successful plan.
Conclusions From the above research the main target group to attempt to convince first would be women ages 21-45 as they are the main buyers for soap and detergents within a household. Either as being students or as mothers they tend to be the ones making the decisions when choosing the product and also are more involved with cleaning and washing. As this product is very useful during a flood situation and in areas with a lot of insect trouble, a modified marketing approach can be taken in these times and areas as it satisfies many people’s needs.
When evaluating what marketing/promotion techniques are already used to attract people to soaps/detergnets we see mainly television ads and in-store promotions (price reductions, samples). This is very useful for discussed product concept too but further actions could be taken as handing out samples in traffic jams, giving combined products (making cream and soap together) or informing through women’s newspapers. As this product is quite general different forms and smell can be made to modify it every few years. One very important attribute that the product must emphasize is to be chemical free.
