Personal Factors influencing Consumer Behavior in the use of Sichuan hotpot restaurants of Consumer in Ubon Ratchathani Province

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) investigate personal factors, consumer behavior, and decision-making in choosing Sichuan hotpot restaurants in Ubon Ratchathani and 2) compare the decision-making in choosing Sichuan hotpot restaurants in Ubon Ratchathani based on personal factors. The sample consisted of 400 consumers of Sichuan hotpot restaurants in Ubon Ratchathani Province. Questionnaires were used as the data collection instrument. Statistics used for data analysis included frequency distribution, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, F-test (or One-Way ANOVA). If differences were found, multiple comparisons were performed using the LSD method. The research findings revealed that: 1) The majority of consumers were female, age between 21–30-year-old, held a bachelor's degree, were students, had an average monthly income of less than 10,000 baht, and marital status were single. Their most frequent service usage was at Jinda Suki restaurant, due to its delicious taste, with a frequency of 1-2 times per month, spending 201-300 baht per visit. They usually visited with friends during the evening hours of 6:01 PM - 9:00 PM on weekend & holidays, with the decision on where to eat being made by themselves. Online media was the primary source of awareness for these restaurants. Regarding the decision-making in choosing Sichuan hotpot restaurants, it was found that the overall decision-making was at a high level. 2) There was no significant difference in the decision-making in choosing Sichuan hotpot restaurants in Ubon Ratchathani Province based on gender. However, there were significant differences in the decision-making in choosing Sichuan hotpot restaurants in Ubon Ratchathani Province based on Age, Education Level, Occupation, Average Monthly Income, and Marital Status.