DEVELOPING VITAMIN-INFUSED DRINKING WATER FORMULAS ACCORDING TO CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN NONTHABURI PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the expectations and needs of undergraduate students in Nonthaburi province towards vitamin-water products, to develop a vitamin-water formula, and to test the consumers’ acceptance of vitamin-water products. This research applied the survey and experimental research methods. A questionnaire was used as the research tool to collect data from the research sample consisting of 400 consumers obtained by multi-stage sampling. The research findings revealed that the majority of consumers were females, aged 20-22 years, buying vitamin water by themselves at 7-Eleven more than 90% of the time, with a frequency of drinking 1-3 times/week, and spending around 15-18 baht for each purchasing. Fifty students tasted 5 flavors out of 26 flavors, which were tested in convenience stores located in Nonthaburi province. Using a 9-point hedonic scale, our food tasting indicated the top 3 flavors preferred at the moderate level were the B’lue brand with Lychee scent, the Perra brand with Kyoho Grape scent, and the Vitaday brand with Peach scent, respectively. Our study found that the expectations and needs of the students lead to a drink that has a beauty function with mainly vitamin C and calcium. Therefore, the researcher calculated the amount of vitamins and minerals according to the reference of Thai RDI that should be consumed to produce a prototype of vitamin-water. When the acceptance of students was tested with 100 students, it was found that 87% of the students accepted the product and 79% of the students had intention to buy the aforementioned formula, priced at 18 baht for 350 ml. The average overall liking score for vitamin water with peach flavor was higher than that of grape flavor, reaching a slightly liked level (x̄ = 6.89 ± 1.80) with significance at the 95%.