A study of buyers’ behavior in purchasing Thai silk dresses by young female, urban consumers

Thai silk is one of Thailand’s best-known handicrafts, found not only in numerous local shops, but also throughout the world. Local Thai silk makers have accumulated knowledge, skills and expertise, which represented the precious of Thailand heritage of each local culture. Thai silk is also one of Thai products that boost Thailand’s economy. Thai silk can be processed into many product forms such as home decoration, dresses and ornaments, turning them into value- added commodities for both the local economy and the country’s economy. Even Thai silk has had a great export demand but has a decreased demand for domestic usages among the young generation who are aged between 25 to 45 years old. They had a perception that Thai silk dresses are unfashionable and difficult to wear in daily life. These reasons made Thai silk gradually fade and fade away. So the Thai government tries to encourage people to inherit this beautiful handicraft but it does not seem to reach the usage of the new generation. This study is a contemporary topic in the area of applied marketing which focusing on market opportunities and upcoming social trends. The first objective is to study the perception of Thai female teenagers toward traditional Thai silk dress designs compared with contemporary designs. The second objective is to identify potential domestic market segments for more contemporary designs of Thai silk dresses from the interpretation of their behaviors and characteristics. The third objective is to understand the crucial factors that can have a profound impact on purchasing Thai silk dresses. Research methodologies were conducted by in-depth interview method with ten respondents and online questionnaires with 200 respondents. Findings of this study illustrate customers’ perception showed the traditional designs of Thai dresses had more negative perception among teenager groups such as it is difficult to dress, it is old-fashioned, it looks formal and it is difficult to take care of. But when the design was adapted to be more modernized, 88.8% of non-users had more positive perception and increased intention to buy reached 91% as the result showed in the following chapter. This research enables readers to understand more the need and factors influencing the purchase of Thai silk dresses by consumers (B2C), while the results assist the readers on decision- making in marketing strategy.