Introduction
Earlier this month I visited Thailand to investigate the possibility of introducing our products there. Although Wallnut is leading ice cream producer in the United States, it is not well known in Thailand.
The Marketing
The ice cream market in Thailand is very competitive and is no open to foreign companies. Sales of regular high quality product have raised steadily in recent years (see attached sales figures). I visited wholesalers, retailers, and sales reps in Bangkok and Udon Thani areas, and also spoke to consumer focus groups. I discovered that Thai consumers pay attention to:
a) flavor: lighter flavor are popular
b) image: effective advertising attractive packaging essential
c) ingredients: all ingredients must be pure and information should be provided on packaging
d) package/portion size: sizes are generally much smaller than in the U.S.
e) price: although we are not aiming for the lower end market, prices should be no higher than those for our main competitors
f) etiquette: outside the home, Thai consumers prefer to eat ice cream at the point of purchase; eating in the street is generally not acceptable, although this is changing
Conclusion
Based on my research, I suggest that we first introduce a limited range of U.S.-made lines in retail stores. We should immediately investigate the possibility of production in Thailand, and I recommend that we offer number of ice cream café franchises in Udon Thani as soon as possible.