Abstract
Presently,
the quantities of Indo-Pacific mackerel resources have been depleting
continuously. However, prices of Indo-Pacific mackerel have not increased
proportionately in comparison to the past. As there have been ongoing demands
for Indo-Pacific mackerel consumption, consumer behavior is an important
indicator for formulation of production plans and marketing strategies of
fishery products because consumers have the power to make purchasing decisions.
The objectives of the research of factors affecting decision to purchase Indo-Pacific
mackerels, Samut Sakhon Province: Consumer Case Study, were to study (1) basic personal information and Indo-Pacific mackerel
purchasing behavior of consumers, (2) marketing factors
affecting consumer satisfaction of Indo-Pacific mackerels and (3)
factors affecting willingness to pay for Indo-Pacific mackerel
consumption.The study was conducted in the area of Samut
Sakhon province during October 2017 and March 2019 to investigate consumer’s behavior and willingness to pay
for mackerel consumption. The data were collected by conducting interviews with
400 mackerel buyers using questionnaires and analyzed by
regression equations. It was found that recognitions on tastes of Indo-Pacific
mackerels from Samut Sakhon Province was the most influential factor for buyers
to purchase mackerels. Most
consumers, 73.75 percent, were willing to pay for Indo-Pacific
mackerel even if mackerel prices increase in the future. Consumers were willing
to pay an increase of 6.543 baht/bamboo basket for steamed
mackerels.At the same time, they were willing to pay an
increase of 19.101baht/kilogram for fresh mackerels.
Factors, including gender, personal incomes, religion (Buddhism), occupation
(civil service) of the sample group, have positive correlation with willingness
to pay for increased prices at statistical significance level of α = 0.01.
Keywords:Consumer behavior, Satisfaction, Willingness to pay, Indo-pacific
mackerels