Kantamaturapoj Kanang, Marshall Alan
Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University, Nakhonpathom, Thailand.
Heliyon. 2020 May 18;6(5):e04003. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04003. eCollection 2020 May.
This study aimed to 1) explore the information flow by which supermarkets attempt to communicate with consumers, and 2) make a preliminary evaluation of the strategies used by supermarkets to promote organic food to consumers specifically within the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Nine supermarket outlets located at the headquarters of nine supermarket chains were observed. Eleven informants from four supermarket chains were interviewed. The results found that supermarkets in Thailand provided rich information about organic food via standard certification, a Participatory Guarantee System, storylines and illustrations involving farmers. The retailers attempted to offer organic food in a way that is convenient to urban consumers' lifestyles. However, the retailers did not attempt to offer special discounts or marketing promotions since they believed that the consumers knowledgeable of organic food would be willing to pay premium price. Two valuable recommendations can be drawn from this research. Firstly, the retailers should provide more information about the formal control systems and authenticity of organic food in order to foster trust and to allow consumers to assess its benefits. Secondly, the retailers should continue offering 'ready to eat' organic food since it can be of significance in relation to the lifestyle of urban Thai consumers.
1）探索超市试图与消费者沟通的信息流；2）对曼谷都会区内超市向消费者推广有机食品所采用的策略进行初步评估。观察了位于九个连锁超市总部的九个超市门店。采访了来自四个连锁超市的11名 informant。结果发现，泰国超市通过标准认证、参与式保障体系、涉及农民的故事情节和插图，提供了丰富的有机食品信息。零售商试图以方便城市消费者生活方式的方式提供有机食品。然而，零售商并未试图提供特别折扣或营销推广，因为他们认为了解有机食品的消费者愿意支付高价。从这项研究中可以得出两条有价值的建议。首先，零售商应提供更多关于有机食品正式控制系统和真实性的信息，以建立信任并让消费者评估其益处。其次，零售商应继续提供“即食”有机食品，因为这对于泰国城市消费者的生活方式可能具有重要意义。
