Consumption Behavior, Need and Factors Influencing Buying Decision on Soy and Soy Germ Products of Menopausal Women in Thailand

Abstract

     The objectives of this study were to investigate 1) the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and methods for alleviation of menopausal symptoms, 2) the consumption behavior and needs of menopausal women, and 3) the factors influencing a consumer's buying decision on soy and soy germ products. The research was undertaken by collecting data from various sources and interviews with questionnaires of 402 menopausal women aged between 40 and 59 years. The result showed that the five most common symptoms were tiredness (81.1%), forgetfulness (77.6%), dry skin (75.4%), headache (72.9%), and aching in muscles and joints (70.1%). Most respondents alleviated menopausal symptoms by exercising the body and brain (54.5%) and eating phytoestrogen products (30.1%). The top five soy products usually consumed by respondents were 1) pasteurized or UHT soymilk (85.8%), 2) soft/silk tofu (68.4%), 3) tofu milk (57.0%), 4) tofu with ginger syrup (55.7%), and 5) firm tofu (48.0%). The respondents consumed soy and soy germ products 1-2 times per week (37.1%) and normally purchased from markets or open markets (87.1%). The reasons given for consuming soy and soy germ products were nutrition value and medicinal properties. The respondents rated the importance levels of eleven variables influencing a consumer's buying decision. Meanwhile, a factor analysis technique classified these variables into four factors which in total explained a cumulative variance of 67.37 percent. The four factors were 1) a product and price factor, describing product appearance, taste and price; 2) a marketing factor describing brand, convenient buying and advertising; 3) a package factor describing packaging and the size of the package; and 4) a health factor describing nutrition value, medicinal properties and product safety. This exploratory study was conducted to get a better understanding of menopausal women's behavior. For the development of soy germ products, the respondents were interested in soy germ products containing isoflavones (87.6%). They suggested that soy germ products should be developed in a beverage category (57.7%) and a supplementary food category (25.3%).