Green tea reigns in Thailand's beverage market
From waking up to going to sleep at night, green tea is ruling the beverage market in Bangkok, followed by carbonated drinks, plain water and fruit juices, according to Intage (Thailand).
The leading market research firm recently conducted a survey on 300 Bangkok respondents aged 15-49 to get a clearer picture of their purchasing behaviour and beverage purchase and consumption patterns.
The research methodology used its new tool called MyReco Solution. Each respondent was assigned to upload all beverages that were personally purchased for personal consumption as well as to answer questions after uploading each item.
The survey found that during the day, 21 per cent of the respondents bought green tea for refreshment, 14 per cent chose carbonated drinks, 13 per cent went for water, 10 per cent selected fruit juice and 9 per cent craved coffee.
"No matter how old people in Bangkok are, green tea rules that market," Dangjaithawin Anantachai, chief operating officer and managing director of Intage Thailand, said last week.
Thai consumers purchased beverages for refreshment, energy, good health and functional effects such as good and smooth skin and effective digestion.
Consumers consistently bought green tea throughout the day, as they believed that this beverage was refreshing like carbonated drinks and water.
Besides getting refreshed, the respondents admitted that they bought green tea because they wanted to enter the brand’s lucky draw.
"This shows that a good promotion can induce new purchases," she said.
However, early in the morning, coffee outpaced green tea consumption, as the drinkers needed to feel more energetic before going to work.
Unbranded coffee available at mom and pop stores and sidewalk stores led the market while branded coffee like Starbucks was considered social coffee to serve office workers during office hours.
Unbranded coffee sold in the streets all over Bangkok owned more than half of the coffee market.
At night, canned coffee gets picked up by consumers at convenience stores.
Marketers should understand such implications to adapt their brand communication strategy to meet each unique demand at a certain time of day.
Particularly when customers are outside, in-store media is very important for customers to make a decision to purchase a product.Social media also helps make people aware of the promotion, she added.
