Development of Marketing Strategies for Ready-to-eat Food for Elderly Consumers

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) examine the external environment (PESTEL Analysis), lifestyle patterns, social media utilization behavior, purchase decision behavior toward ready-to-eat (RTE) foods among elderly consumers, and the consumer-centric marketing mix. (7Cs: Consumer-Centric Marketing Mix). 2) investigate the structural relationships among external environmental factors (PESTEL: External Environmental Factors), type of lifestyle (TOL: Type of Lifestyle), consumer-centric marketing mix (7Cs), behavior of social media utilization (BHV: Behavior of Social Media Utilization), and purchase decision behavior (DECI: Purchase Decision Behavior) of elderly consumers toward ready-to-eat foods and 3. propose marketing strategy development guidelines for ready-to-eat foods targeting elderly consumers. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 400 elderly respondents, while qualitative data were obtained through focus group discussion with 12 experts specializing in healthy food development, food law, elderly nutrition, and marketing. Quantitative data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and qualitative data were analyzed using Content Analysis. The quantitative and qualitative findings revealed that : 1. elderly consumers placed greater emphasis on convenience, credibility of information, and recommendations from close individuals rather than pricing factors. 2. social media utilization behavior (BHV) exerted the strongest direct influence on purchase decision behavior (DECI), serving as a mediating variable between type of lifestyle (TOL), external environmental factors (PESTEL), and the consumer-centric marketing mix (7Cs). and 3. The study proposed a segmentation model dividing elderly consumers into four groups (BAHT Model) and introduced the BEST framework for product development. In conclusion, the findings theoretically contribute by establishing BHV as a critical mediator in the purchase decision process within the food market for aging populations.