SHOPPING EXPERIENCE FOR FOREIGN CONSUMERS AT GAYSORN PLAZA

SHOPPING EXPERIENCE FOR FOREIGN CONSUMERS AT GAYSORN PLAZA



Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION4

Outline of the Study4

Background of the research4

Research Problems5

Aims and Objectives5

Significance6

Research Question7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW8

Source of value: Experience8

The 3-S Model9

The physical surrounding and service environment cues10

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY11

Research Design11

Qualitative Research11

Quantitative Research12

Data Collection12

Secondary Data12

Primary Data13

Research Instrument/ Questionnaire13

Questionnaire Design13

Scaling Method15

Respondents and Sampling Design16

Sampling Design16

Target Population17

Sample Size18

Pilot Survey18

Reliability19

Fieldwork19

Statistical Test20

Descriptive Analysis20

REFERENCES21



CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Outline of the Study

This is the introduction chapter that introduces the topic for the dissertation as well as containing a brief background of the Gaysorn Shopping Plaza in Bangkok, Thailand.

Background of the research

Gaysorn Plaza, pronounced ke-son, is a high-end shopping center located in the Ratchaprasong district in the center of Bangkok's shopping district, and is accessible by car or by the Bangkok BTS Sky train. Gaysorn Plaza has more than one hundred different stores that carry everything from clothing to furniture, to jewellery. The stores located in Gaysorn Plaza include world famous designers like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, and Prada, as well as some of Thailand's best designers.

Gaysorn also contains six restaurants that feature Thai, Italian, and Chinese cuisine, as well as three different spas and beauty boutiques. Gaysorn Plaza is a shopping center that markets to an upper-class clientele as well as tourists. The plaza is surrounded by more than 11 luxury hotels, several different shopping centres, with department stores, and more than 500,000 square meters of office space. Gaysorn plaza opened in December 1994, and seven floors and an area of 42,000 square meters. The top three floors are offices for executives. Unlike other shopping centres in Bangkok, Gaysorn only looks to attract the shoppers looking for the finest quality goods and apparel. Some of the amenities at Gaysorn are a free multilingual concierge service for booking hotels, and arranging tours. Gaysorn also has a “lifestyle consultant” that can help with all a customer's fashion needs (Gaysorn.com)

Research Problems

Gaysorn Plaza is Bangkok's premium lifestyle shopping center, and is considered as the leading Bangkok shopping mall to buy luxury items. Gaysorn Plaza has many high-end international brands for consumers to choose from. Due to the many different retail stores that are located in Gaysorn Plaza it is difficult for Gaysorn's managers to conduct research or receive feedback from foreigners to see if they are content with the services and brands available at Gaysorn Plaza.

Another aspect that makes consumer research difficult for the managerial staff at Gaysorn is the language barrier between tourists and the Thai managers. Most people speak English, and Gaysorn certainly could print surveys in English, but not all tourist understand English, or fluent English. Gaysorn's managers also have to try to influence people to take time out of their day to complete the survey, which can be a challenge

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the study is to initially evaluate the:

Examine the current shopping experience at Gaysorn Plaza and find what makes the shopping experience at Gaysorn Plaza unique

Surveying foreign customers, to get new ideas and see what the ...