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