ITALIAN GELATO IN THAILAND: SUCCESS STORIES AND FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMERS TO PURCHASE ARTISANAL GELATO

Abstract

Italian food is acquiring more and more recognition around the world and is often perceived as premium and high quality. This success may also be pushed by the increasingly popular trends of influencers visiting Italy and promoting the renowned “la dolce vita” lifestyle. This research explores the popularity of Italian artisanal gelato in Thailand and investigates which are the main factors that attract people to consume it. The main objective is to support local entrepreneurs in presenting the product in a way that customers like and perceive as premium. In particular, the research reviews relevant literature concerning external factors that have been demonstrated to influence gelato consumption and perception, such as music and atmospherics. The research methodology adopted consists of both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the first, 102 people were surveyed through an online questionnaire. For the second, 5 business owners were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The research findings show two factors that mainly influence the consumers’ behavior toward artisanal gelato, which are the location or environment of the shop and the taste and quality of the product. The findings are correlated, between the quantitative and qualitative research. In addition, they mostly find a match with the information provided by the reviewed literature. Eventually, recommendations are provided for local entrepreneurs interested in running an artisanal gelato business in Thailand through an analysis of the managerial implications of the findings.