THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 SITUATION ON CHANGING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN SERVICE BUSINESSES AND GUIDELINES FOR SERVICE BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS IN BANGKOK AND METROPOLITAN AREAS

Abstract

The objective of this research is 1) to study demographic factors affecting changes in consumer behavior in service businesses in Bangkok and Metropolitan areas due to the COVID-19 situation, 2) to study the risk perceptions, reference groups, and attitudes affecting changes in consumer behavior in service businesses in Bangkok and Metropolitan areas due to the COVID-19 situation, and 3) to study the guidelines to deal with the changed consumer behavior of service business entrepreneurs in Bangkok and Metropolitan areas. The research applied mixed method research using an explanatory sequential design. The sample consisted of 400 people aged 18 and up both males and females, and LGBTQIA+. Key informants were service business entrepreneurs, amounting to 10 businesses in Bangkok and Metropolitan areas. Data were collected by using questionnaires and interviews. The statistics used in descriptive data analysis were percentage, mean and standard deviation, and statistics used in inferential data analysis were one-way variance statistics and linear regression analysis.

The results showed that:

Most of the samples were female, aged 36-45 years, office workers occupation and held bachelor’s degrees, and were married. The hypothesis testing revealed that demographic factors in terms of occupation and education affect changes in consumer behavior in service businesses in Bangkok and Metropolitan areas differently with statistical significance at the level of 0.05. In terms of risk perception, safety, finance, society, and public relation and in respect of reference groups in terms of information from society and in all aspects of attitude, they were factors affecting changes in consumer behavior in service businesses in Bangkok and Metropolitan areas, with statistical significance at the level of 0.05. In addition, key informants perceived the change in consumers and found that the use of online services increased, the use of services done by yourself decreased, the frequency of using the service reduced, the use of services to go to a private home, and more information before receiving services. SWOT analysis found that the strength is the owner of the place has products for sale during the business closure. The weakness is insufficient funds for expenses incurred. The opportunity is that some services offer increased feedback from home behavior and the obstacle is various government policies. In the future, entrepreneurs pay more attention to distribution channel strategies, especially online channels that are expected to play a role in the future. And entrepreneurs have a way to cope with changing consumer behavior by using prices and promotions to motivate them, creating an understanding for consumers to feel that the service can be tangible, adding a variety of service options, and gradually adjusting the business to be in line with consumer behavior.