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Abstract:
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The present study has the objectives to examine the behavior in using drug store’s services and identify the factors affecting the choice to use services of specific drug stores of people living in Mueang District of Chiang Mai Province. Information was collected from 400 samples of persons aged 21 – 70 years old who living in the areas of Tambon Chang Phueak, Tambon Suthep, Tambon Wat Ket, and Tambon Chang Khlan.
The findings revealed that most of the drug store services users can be described as female, aged 21 -30, with bachelor’s degree education, private company employee, and having 14,675.5 baht monthly income. On consumer behavior, the samples under study were found to choose drug stores which are located in the neighborhood of their residence. They visited drug store 1 -2 times per month, spent on the average 101 – 325 baht per time of drug purchase, and had no regular hours for them to go to the drug store. Their main reason for going to the drug store was to buy drugs for treating illness, by telling the pharmacist about the signs or symptoms of illness for the latter to determine the appropriate set of medicines, and in most cases to buy household remedy drugs and other over the counter or non-prescription drugs.
On marketing mix factors that influencing the choice of consumers to select a particular drug store, the study found those rated as most important to include the factor of physical environment which received the highest score followed by the factors of process, personnel, and distribution, respectively. Those marketing mix factors rated as highly important are product, price, and promotion.
Keywords : Drugstore, Drug, Pharmacy, Pharmacist, Chiangmai
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