การศึกษาความคิดเห็นของผู้บริโภคในเขตกรุงเทพฯ ที่มีต่อบัตรเครดิตที่ออกโดยสถาบันการเงิน / อัจฉรา เกรียงไกรสกุล = A study on consumers' opinion in bangkok metropolitan area towards credit card issued by financial institutions / Achara kriengkraisakul
At present credit card, as an exchange media and a promotional tool in financial business, is gradually increasing its role in the economic world. Here in Thailand, credit card business has entered for over 20 years. However, in comparison to other countries, this kind of business has not yet achieved a satisfactory result. This phenomena can be reasoned by the fact that Thai people traditionally accept cash for payment in everyday life. Thus, the researcher finds it interesting to study on the opinion of consumer target group towards credit card issued by financial institutions, particularly on the adoption, motives for applying credit card and marketing opportunity of the credit card business. The data about consumer’s opinion in this thesis was obtained from personal interviews and questionnaires of 240 samples during the period of June to September 1985. The sampling unit includes high level managerial employees in government sector, state enterprises. Banking & financial institutes and business organizations. The results of the research can be elaborated as follows: Most of the cardholders are university-or higher-educational-level graduates working in business organization in high level managerial positions. The average number of credit cards most cardholders carrying is one card. The American Express is found the most reliable brand among others. Safety and need to assure of the ability to pay at all time are the most important motives for applying credit card. The decision for applying each brand relates to distributive services and the image of card issuer. The rate of cardholder, during the period researched, reveals 44%, and this figures increases approximately 26% each year. Still the researcher found that the increasing rate of first time cardholders stands on the decline. Main cause of this is that service establishments does not comply buying behavior of the consumer. In conclusion, it should be pointed out some necessary factors to improve the success in credit card business: For target group which seldom travels or holds a reception, the card issuer should consider the utility of payment through credit card as a strategy for market expansion. The card issuer should also try to motivate the target group to use credit card for daily payment in every possible situation by expanding the channel of service establishment to reach middle class consumers in departmentstores, gas stations etc, and advertising publicity new sources of service establishments. For target group which often travels or holds a reception, card issuer should places the emphasis on its superior benefits than other empetitive issuers; such as the availibity and accessibility of abroad service establishment, improvement of services for travelling, utility of intensive sales promotion to decrease the interest of target group in other competitive brands.