Social media ‘changing the way we behave’
MARKET RESEARCH firm Envirosell Thailand has found that many Thai consumers have turned into emotional buyers because of social media.
Managing director Sarinporn Jivanun also said many of today’s consumers had become more sophisticated when purchasing an item because of social media.
Almost half of the population uses social media, and that figure is expected to rise, she said.
She said her firm had found that social media had shaped consumer behaviour in the six emotional values that reflected the different patterns of their purchasing journey and media consumption.
The six emotional values are “joylust”, “i-mage”, “sole-cial”, “farm-ganic”, “dramaqueen” and “automatism”.
Joylust applies to consumers who are addicted to social media and receive happiness and recognition online.
“I-mage reflects that they are using social media to enhance their reputation and image while they continue to go back to nature by eating organic products and experiencing agri-tourism or farm-ganic,” Sarinporn said.
She said that amid the rise of social media, many consumers had become sole-cial, which meant they liked to be isolated but continued to socialise with friends and family via connected devices.
She said that after advancements in information and communication technology and the Internet of Things, a new generation of consumers was automatism – they sought automatic offers such as an automatic self-driving car, real-time translation applications and robo-writers.
Dramaqueen refers to consumers who like emotional content that allows them to engage with others and express their opinions about content.
“Brands and marketers should gain a good understanding about this trend to help them engage with consumers in the social-media age,” she said.
Envirosell is an arm of Index Creative Village.
