Shops in tourist cities have lost foreign customers. How can we create a new Thai customer base?

Although Thailand has handled the COVID-19 outbreak situation well, Ranked No. 1 out of 184 countries worldwide But Thailand itself has also been affected, causing the domestic economy to stagnate. Especially tourism, which is a business that generates money flow and drives the economy of Thailand in the top ranks. Because of foreign tourists There is also an outbreak of COVID-19 in their own country, and the Thai government has not yet unlocked the entry of foreign tourists into the country as is normal.

Of course, the tourism business is directly affected by this crisis, including related businesses such as: Restaurants, souvenir shops in various tourist attractions Especially cities whose main income comes from tourists, the impact is greater than other cities. One solution for restaurant businesses in tourist cities is to expand their customer base. By returning to pay more attention to the Thai customer group. Because the survey found that Thai customers still have potential to travel and spend. In addition , the government's domestic tourism promotion policy has helped stimulate spending by Thai tourists quite a bit. Starting over with a new customer group may not be easy, but it's not too difficult either. As for how to start, MHA has the following recommendations:

1. Start by changing your attitude and perspective.

Since the shop has been targeting foreign tourists for a long time, it is not strange that we are more familiar with the habits and services of foreign tourists than Thai people, to the point that many times Some shops have an attitude of neglecting to provide service to Thai tourists. A survey of Thai tourists found that many had bad experiences with the service. This is because the shop values ​​Thai customers less than foreign tourists. This leads to word-of-mouth spread among Thai customers and eventually leads to them not using the service.

Therefore, the most important thing first, if the shop has the attitude and attitude mentioned above, we recommend that you change your mindset immediately and turn back to giving more importance and sincerity in providing services to Thai customers. Because Thai customers are one of the factors that will help our restaurant business survive in this crisis.

2. Start surveying to find out who our new customers are. First, we must understand that

Tourists to each tourist destination are different, classified according to the characteristics of each tourist destination. For example, the tourist groups to the beach in Hua Hin are usually university students or young working adults, and young families from Bangkok, since the travel distance is not too far. This group has quite a lot of purchasing power, spending mostly on food and beverages. When compared to the Bangsaen beach tourist group that focuses on family tourism and has more budget constraints, to find out who our new customers are, it is not necessary to conduct academically correct marketing research. Instead, we can ask other tourists, search for information about tourism marketing on the internet, or use observation and inquiry methods through various online channels. Before analyzing and defining the store's target group

3. Analyze the needs of new customer groups. By considering

Factors related to food taste, taste, spending ability, desired promotions Including channels to communicate with the customer groups mentioned above. It is true that each restaurant may have its own style of food, especially restaurants that focus on foreign tourists, usually cook food to cater to the tastes of foreigners.

However , when expanding to a new customer base, you may need to adjust the menu or try to decide which menu will appeal to this new group of tourists. But it is not necessary to completely change the restaurant's cooking style. For example, an American-style steak restaurant can add a Thai-style steak menu or add some spicy dishes. In addition, setting prices to suit Thai people or even organizing promotional menus is also quite interesting. Because we must not forget that Thai tourists in this COVID-19 era will consider choosing restaurants based on value for money and price more than normal.

Groups of company employees, shops, or people living near our shops are equally interesting. It might start by adjusting the menu to suit those people's lifestyles.

For example, a restaurant that focuses on ordering large sets of food may add a single-dish menu or may have to adjust its opening and closing hours to match the lifestyle of the new target group, such as increasing sales in the morning by offering an easy-to-eat breakfast menu that does not take long to eat, which is suitable for office workers. However, do not forget to promote the restaurant. Start with simple tools like flyers or store signs that can provide information to customers and expand to delivery services to your home or workplace. You can learn how to promote your online store to increase sales 10 times for free! Click

5. Make your shop more widely known by using various social media.

For example, create a Facebook page for your shop, creating content that appeals more to Thai customers, posting photos and video clips related to the shop, such as reviews in Thai, presenting the shop's highlights, photo spots that you should check in, or signature dishes of the shop in many menus, the atmosphere and decoration of the shop, and if you can present the most outstanding points of the shop that no one else has, it will increase its interest quite a bit. For example, a restaurant with a beautiful river view or a pool area where parties can be held, etc. This part may seem difficult because we do not have the skills to produce professional content. However, with the development of technology today, almost everyone has a smartphone that can take both photos and videos. There are also many photo editing and editing apps, both free and paid, so content production does not require much skill. All that is left is to tell the story of the restaurant, the menu, and the atmosphere in the restaurant. In addition, the page must have a map of the restaurant, a contact phone number, or the restaurant's Line ID for ease of inquiries, ordering food, or reserving a table. Finally, to increase sales, try ending with a special discount promotion for those who like or share the restaurant's page. This is an idea that works well.

6. Allows food to travel long distances If each menu item can travel further, it means that the customer base will be expanded and there will be more opportunities to sell. We can do this by:

Add packaging or improve the packaging method that will help keep food fresh longer and not easily damaged during shipping. And when combined with today's highly developed transportation system, the opportunities for selling food for restaurants in tourist cities have expanded even further.

The restaurant may have to develop a new menu, focusing on menus that can be stored for a long time and can be sent by post or delivery service without damage, such as various types of roasted chili paste, salted boiled mackerel, pickled vegetables, etc. And don't forget to promote these menus in the restaurant's various media as well. There are many other tips that will help sustain the restaurant business in tourist cities to survive this crisis. Finally, MHA would like to encourage all restaurants in tourist cities. No matter what, we will join hands to overcome this crisis together.