With the popularity of dataSpring's recent general case study of Shampoo Buyer behavior across China, South Korea, and Indonesia, we decided to extend the study for further insights.

With a more focused approach, we will be analyzing the buyer behaviors and creating 'buyer personas' in the Thailand Shampoo Market.

Enjoy!

• Survey Method: Online Research
• Country: Thailand
• Targeting: 20-49yo
• Survey Period: November 7, 2017 - November 13, 2017
• Complete N: 300 samples

1. Who We Interviewed - The Demographics

To get a better understanding of the shampoo and beauty market in Thailand, we decided to survey 300 males and females aged 20-49. Of the people we surveyed, 50% were male while 50% were female. We also asked them about their marital status, age, and income. And finally, to get a better understanding of general buyer behavior, we asked about their lifestyle - which factors they care about and which factors relate most to their life - in which survey takers chose what they valued by picking multiple choice answers.

From asking more about their lifestyle, we can get a better understanding of the kind of mindset consumers have when deciding on purchasing or not purchasing items. From the data, we can see that "Cherishing time with family" was highest at 57%, while matters like having practical use items and being happy were 48% and 43% respectively. For survey takers, spending time wisely and owning products with natural over manufactured ingredients made the top five list of answers as well.

With these popular answers in mind, we can see that, for Thai consumers, there is a heavy focus on how consumers choose to spend their time and money, focusing on 'natural' and 'practical' items.

2. Shampoo Insights - What They Buy and Why

Just as our general study revealed, foreign brands ranked high in recognition and usage in Thailand. When asked the open-ended question of which brand they were currently using, many Thai consumers chose global brands like Unilever's Sunsilk and Clear and P&G's Pantene.

With fragrances, consumers ranked very similarly to our Indonesian consumers and Taiwanese consumers, with 'floral' and 'forest' taking first and second places respectively. From the three top-ranked fragrances: floral, mint, and forest, we can see that natural and outdoor scents are a favorite among Thai consumers.

As for their buyer behavior, we can see the aforementioned focus on function and practicality as the top-ranked reason for purchasing.

3. Buyer Personas - Four to Use Today

For many marketers, understanding your market is one step to a successful marketing plan. The next is creating buyer personas to put a face to the name of your target market. Use these four buyer personas to easier understand the Shampoo and Beauty market in Thailand.

Walid

Our first buyer persona, Walid is a single male in his late 30s. Walid lives with his parents, grandparents, and siblings and has an annual income of over THB 70,000. For Walid, he cares about spending time with his family, the design and look of what he buys ('nice package design') and living like a celebrity.

When purchasing shampoo he cares most about the functions, whether or not everyone in his family can use it, if it gives a luxurious feel, and if he can rely on the product. His favorite scent is mint and herb and he currently uses the shampoo brand Dove from Unilever.

To get a better understanding of his lifestyle and purchasing behavioral decisions, we've asked Walid to provide us with a picture of his bathroom. Walid generally likes the bathroom space and often uses it to relax. In Thailand, it seems that bathrooms commonly have a shower, toilet, and washbasin all in the same space.

Ranvir

Our second buyer persona Ranvir is a single male in his early 30s. Ranvir lives with his parents and has an annual income of THB 25,000 ～ 49,999. For Ranvir, he cares about spending time with his family, being economically satisfied, and being happy in life.

When purchasing shampoo he cares about whether or not it is his favorite brand and whether or not all members of his family can use it. His favorite scent is mint and he currently uses the shampoo brand Clear from Unilever.

To get a better understanding of his lifestyle and purchasing behavioral decisions, we've asked Ranvir to provide us with a picture of his bathroom. He commented that he uses the bathtub for relaxing but complained that his is in his bathroom, and not many facilities are available to him.

Yevgeni

Our third buyer persona, Yevgeni, is a married male in his late 30s. Yevgeni lives with his spouse and children and has an annual income of THB 25,000 ~ 49,999. For Yevgeni, he cares about spending time with his family as well as living frugally.

When purchasing shampoo he cares a lot about the functions, scent and how thoroughly the shampoo can clean. His favorite scent is forest and he currently uses the shampoo brand Dove from Unilever.

To get a better understanding of his lifestyle and purchasing behavioral decisions, we've asked Yevgeni to provide us with a picture of his bathroom. For Yevgeni, he does not like that the bathroom is narrow.

Pakpao

Our fourth buyer persona Pakpao is a single female in her early 30s. Pakpao lives with her siblings, spouse, and children and has an annual income of over THB 70,000. For Pakpao, she cares about spending time with family, quickly buying wishlist items, being economically satisfied, and being happy in life.

When purchasing shampoo she cares most about the functions, how thoroughly it cleans, whether the reviews are good, if everyone in her family can use it, and if it gives a feeling of luxury. She likes floral, forest, and musk scents and currently uses Sunsilk from Unilever.

To get a better understanding of her lifestyle and purchasing behavioral decisions, we've asked Pakpao to provide us with a picture of her bathroom above. For Pakpao and her family, she often complains that baths give her the highest sense of relaxation. It is important to note that Pakpao's bathroom is not a common layout or design. This type of bathroom can normally be found in Indonesia.

Final Comments: Thai Shampoo Consumers

Brands, end-clients such as FMCGs, and retailers will need to focus on natural ingredients, as well as functions and affordability, in order to deliver on the growing consumer expectations and demand.

We hope this was an educational and interesting read for you! If you would like to run an online or mobile study in Asia, don’t hesitate to contact us!