Nghiên cứu một số yếu tố tác động tới ý định sử dụng dịch vụ spa của phụ nữ việt nam TT TIENG ANH

1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY With the desire to contribute more scientific knowledge to promote the development of the spa industry in an emerging market like Vietnam, it is essential and necessary to study the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women According to research and personal assessment, the PhD student confirmed that this is a new topic in Vietnam The PhD student is expected to build a research model on the basis of TPB theory, introducing some new variables The results of this study can help spa businesses and operators understand the complex decision-making process of spa service use behavior and develop marketing strategies to meet customer needs 1.1 The reason for choosing the topic The spa business is a service business, and to explain the intention to use the service is always an issue that spa managers care about because it helps them to predict the customer's behavior and their perception of the service provided by the spa The basic principle of marketing science and consumer behavior is that consumers are free to decide what to consume and what to refuse, so they should always be at the heart of any business Thus, to effectively manage spa business, it is necessary for the manager to understand customers and their behavior Furthermore, if you want to have a successful marketing strategy and satisfy the needs of spa guests, you need to understand the customer's intention to use spa services Theoretically, a number of studies in the world on the intention and behavior of using spa services have been found and have made meaningful contributions both in theory and practice (Kim et al., 2010; Kucukusta) and Guillett, 2014; Basheer Abbas Al-alak Ghaleb Awad EL-refae, 2012; Myong Jae Lee, 2015…) The results of these studies have discovered that different factors have an impact on the intention and behavior of using spa services depending on the survey subjects and the research context In Vietnam today, the spa industry has made certain developments, but the direction of spa research has not received the attention of domestic scientists Up to the present time, there has not been any in-depth domestic research on the intention to use spa services of consumers in general and of women in particular In practice, the spa industry in Vietnam has been confirmed as a dynamic, high-growth economic industry that brings economic value to the country and brings health and interesting lifestyle to Vietnamese people with increasingly attractive and diverse forms of expression Many research experts predict that business activities in this field will continue to grow strongly in the 21st century It is this development that has opened up many opportunities to access and choose spa services for Vietnamese women However, Vietnam is still not in the top 10 largest spa markets in the region In addition, the market is now developing spontaneously Because of spontaneity, small and private spa has not yet attracted and created trust with Vietnamese women while branded spa has high service prices, only suitable for high-income customers According to my research, the number of spa service businesses in Vietnam has now reached more than 10,000, mainly in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, accounting for more than 60% the total number of spa business establishments in the country It seems that spa services are also considered to be quite new to Vietnamese people, especially many Vietnamese women are quite afraid when choosing to use spa services for beauty, health care or pampering themselves, although they are aware of the value brought from spa services to their health, beauty and physique So the question here is what factors affect to promote or inhibit the behavior of Vietnamese women using spa services? Based on the above theoretical and practical issues, the PhD student chooses the content: "Study on some factors affecting the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women" as the topic of the thesis 1.2 Objectives and tasks of the thesis 1.2.1 Objectives of the study The thesis focuses on researching and testing some factors affecting the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women 1.2.1 Research tasks • Review of domestic and international research on intention to use service in general, and intention to use spa service of female customers in particular • Building a model of factors affecting the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women based on the application of TPB model • Testing and measuring the influence of independent variables on the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women • Test the difference in intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women among demographic groups in terms of age, occupation, education level and income • Based on the research results, the thesis will propose some suggestions to help business investors and spa service managers have a more comprehensive view of Vietnamese women's intention to use spa services, thereby making more effective business decisions At the same time, help them apply the best marketing tools and policies to promote the behavior of Vietnamese women to use spa services 1.3 Research questions The research has the following questions: 1- What factors affect the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women? 2- What is the degree of influence and direction of these factors affecting the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women? 3- Is there a difference in the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women according to demographic characteristics? 4- What solutions can be proposed to help spa businesses promote the intention to use spa services of female customers in Vietnam? 1.4 Research scope and subject 1.4.1 Research subject (1) In terms of content, the research subjects of the thesis include: Intention to use spa services (2) Some factors affect the intention to use spa services in general and of Vietnamese women in particular Specifically include: Attitude towards spa services; Subjective norms; Perceived behavioral control; Concern about selfimage 1.4.2 Research scope Research issue: the thesis focuses on building a model of factors affecting the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women from a personal perspective based on the Theory of planned behavior (TPB) and examine to add new variables to the model Research subjects: Vietnamese women’s intention to use the type of cosmetic spa and medical spa business Research scope: a case study for female urban residents in some large cities in the North of Vietnam (Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh) intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women based on the theory of planned behavior TPB This result contributes to supplement the empirical research evidence on applying TPB behavioral theory in the study of women's intention to use spa services (case study in a developing country in Asia) The thesis has discovered a new factor affecting the intention to use spa services, which is the factor "concern about self-image", this factor has not been tested before in the world as well as in Vietnam This is an important new point of the thesis, contributing to the additional factors affecting the intention to use spa services of women, the case study in the Vietnamese market 1.6.2 Contribution in terms of practice The research results of the thesis help spa managers recognize and understand the factors that have an important influence on the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women Specifically, the factor of concerning about self-image has a positive impact and has the strongest influence on the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women; The remaining variables in the TPB model are subjective norms, attitudes and perceptions also have a positive impact on the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women This conclusion helps spa managers to have a basis for building marketing policies and making decisions about products, services, prices or communication, as well as methods to approach female customers of all ages and different income level In addition, they also have a strategic orientation to focus resources, improve services, improve quality, thereby promoting the behavior of Vietnamese women using spa services Research period: The thesis is conducted to survey the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women in the period from 2017 to 2019 Proposals and implications for management are proposed for spa services business and government authorities for the period from 2022-2025 The thesis is also a useful reference for scientists, lecturers and students when researching, teaching and learning in the service sector 1.5 Research methodology The thesis has following chapters: The research approach of the thesis includes both qualitative and quantitative research, divided into phases: Preliminary research phase, applying qualitative method (in-depth interview) in order to guide and refine research hypotheses After that, the PhD student applies preliminary quantitative research, collects data, analyzes and evaluates the scale in order to complete the model and propose official scales used in the thesis In the formal research stage, the PhD student uses quantitative methods: to collect, analyze, evaluate and verify research data in order to draw conclusions to solve research problems Chapter 1: Introduction to the study 1.6 New contribution of the thesis 1.1.1 Contribution in terms of theory The thesis builds and tests a model of four factors (Attitude towards spa services; Subjective norms; Perceived behavioral control; Concern about self-image) affecting the 1.7 The structure of the thesis Chapter 2: Literature review and research model Chapter 3: Research Methodology Chapter 4: Research results Chapter 5: Conclusions and implications 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH MODEL 2.1 Theoretical basis of intention to use spa services 2.1.1 Overview of spa and some basic concepts 2.1.1.1 The definition of service “A service is an activity or performance or experience that one party can offer to another, which is intangible and usually does not result in ownership of any element of the process creating that activity/experience/performance” (Pham Thi Huyen, 2018) 2.1.1.2 The definition of spa service According to the International Spa Association (ISPA), spa is a place that provides services that help renew the human mind, body and spirit, thereby improving the overall well-being of people (Hyde-Smith, 2012) In the scope of this research, the PhD student will use the spa services perspective of the International Spa Association (ISPA) In Vietnam, researchers also support the concept that spa must include the use of steam-based therapies as the primary source (Ha Bich Lien et al., 2007) Thus, we can understand that spa is a combination of many treatments, also known as therapies, performed by professionally trained spa therapists for the purpose of health and beauty care , creating a feeling of mental relaxation for the user 2.1.2 Concept of behavioral intention and intention to use spa services Consumer behavior In the context of Vietnamese consumers, according to Vu Huy Thong (2013) “consumer behavior is a human process in which an individual forms responses to his or her needs This process includes the awareness phase and the action phase.” Behavioral intention In the theory of rational behavior (TRA) proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975), the authors argue that behavioral intention is a cognitive representation of willingness to perform a certain behavior, thereby leading to the ability to perform the behavior Intent to purchase (use) spa services is an individual's willingness to purchase (use) spa services 2.2 Factors affecting the intention to use the service and the intention to use spa services The spa industry is now a growing industry, rapidly capturing different market segments around the world The diverse development of spa shows that in addition to the main purpose of health care, spa business also has great profitability The literature review results show that research on spa services is a topic that attracts the attention of many researchers around the world, but these studies mainly come from developed countries in the West such as the US, Greece and in Asia such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia The conclusions of these studies have made significant scientific and practical contributions to the intention to use spa services in the world Specifically, there have been many studies around the world that have shown groups of factors affecting the intention to use spa services of different consumer groups, including case studies in applying TPB model to verify the intention to use spa services of customers such as Kim et al., 2010; Myong Jae Lee, 2015…; study the factors that motivate consumers to use spa services such as relaxation and stress reduction, relief… (Athena H N Mak et al., 2008); groups of factors related to quality and customer satisfaction (Basheer Abbas Al-alak Ghaleb Awad EL-refae, 2012)…In Vietnam, this topic has not received the attention of scientists, Mai Ngoc Khuong et al (2016) with a study on men's skin care product buying behavior can be considered the first research related to the spa topic of the thesis Table 2.1: Summary of factors affecting the intention to use spa services Author/year Research context/research subject Independent variables Kim et al Applying TPB model to test US Attitudes towards spas; (2010) consumers' intention to go to spa Subjective norms; Perception of behavioral control; Past experience; Mental health; Myong Jae Lee Applying TPB model to Concern for skin health; (2015) investigate US consumers' Body attractiveness; intention to use spa services at Age and aging process; Self-image; luxury hotels Awareness of using skin care products Athena H N Research the underlying factors Relaxation and stress Mak et al (2008) that motivate tourists to seek spa relief; experiences while traveling in Relieve; Self-reward and passion; Hong Kong Health and beauty; Sirinya Panadis Research on Thai consumers' Word of mouth; and Lalita attitudes towards spa in Thailand Relax; Phongvivat through observation of their (2011) behaviour, needs, perceptions and motivations Basheer Abbas Study on the impact of spa service Tangible facilities; Al-alak Ghaleb quality on customer satisfaction Reliability; Awad EL-refae and intention to use spa services in Ability to satisfy the (2012) Malaysia need; Kucukusta and Researching the factors that Guillet (2014) influence customers' preferences for spa treatments Research on tourists' motivation to Darko use spa services Dimitrovski and Aleksandar Todorović (2015) Chutima Klaysung (2016) Research on factors affecting consumers' decision to choose spa services in Thailand Nikolaos Trihas Research on the determinants of tourists' choice of spa in Elounda and Anastasia (Greece) Konstantarou (2016) 2.3 Research model and research hypothesis 2.3.1 Research model The theoretical research model is as follows: Empathy; Guarantees; The therapist's qualifications; Privacy level; Spa has full facilities; Branded spa products preferred by customers; Rejuvenation; Social activities; Hedonism; Obsessed with health and beauty; Relax; Escape from daily life; Marketing-Mix strategy (product, price, distribution channels, promotion mix, employees, tangibles, sales process) Demographic factors; Frequency of access; The cleanliness and maintenance of the spa; Knowledge and hygiene of staff; Staff courtesy and conduct; Service quality; Stress relief/relaxation; Improve health and beauty care; H1 Attitude towards spa services H2 Subjective norms H3 Perception of behavioral control Intention to use spa services H4 Mental health Gender, age, education level, income H5 Concern about self-image Figure 2.6: Research model proposes factors affecting the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women Source: proposed by author 2.3.2 Formulate research hypotheses about the relationship between factors in the model • H1: Attitude towards spa services has a positive influence on intention to use spa services • H2: Subjective norm has a positive influence on intention to use spa services • H3: Perceived behavioral control has a positive influence on intention to use spa services • H4: Attention to mental health has a positive influence on intention to use spa services • H5: Concern about self-image has a positive influence on intention to use spa services 2.3.3 Preliminary scale of variables in the research model Independent variable scale: Table 2.2: Scale of Independent Variables Variables Scale I love it every time I go to the spa I believe spa services will bring positive results 10 Attitude towards spa services (Myong Jae Lee, 2015) I am excited by the good results from spa services I believe that spa services are beneficial to me Subjective norms (Myong Jae Lee, 2015) My close friends who like to use spa services highly recommend me to experience the service here My friends, colleagues, family and relatives think I should visit the spa Special people for me will accept if I use spa services I visit the spa just because the people who are important to me like it I believe that I can visit spas without any difficulty (e.g finance, time, health) The decision to go to the spa is entirely up to me I can manage all difficulties when using spa services (e.g finance, time, health) I don't face any barriers involved if I choose to visit a spa I allow myself to fully experience emotions and find ways to express them I easily express my care and affection to the people I care about I feel less stressed when using spa services Perception of behavioral control (Myong Jae Lee, 2015) Mental health (Soo Hyun Kim, Seung Hyun Kim, Chang Huh, Bonnie Knutson, 2010) Concern about selfimage (Mai Khuong Ngoc et al, 2016) I built myself an impressive image when I appeared in front of the crowd I am a confident person I want a special style I'm trendy I am an active person I care a lot about my appearance I always want to improve my image in the eyes of others I usually like to try a variety of new products Source: summarized by author Dependent variable Table 2.3: Scale of dependent variable Intention to use spa services In the future, I plan to go spa often (Myong Jae Lee, 2015) In the near future, I'd love to go to the spa In the near future, I will be planning to go to the spa I believe I will enjoy spa services in the future Source: summarized by author CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLODY 3.1 Research context 3.1.1 Spa market opportunities in Vietnam Vietnam is located in the Asia Pacific region, which is one of the regions with the fastest growing spa industry in the world (Global Wellness Institute, 2017) Also according to the report of Global Wellness Institute, Vietnam is also not present in the top 10 position in the region, the main reasons can be mentioned as: spa businesses are still spontaneous, so there is a lack of control; the quality of services at the facilities is still uneven, not really attracting consumers 3.1.2 Reality of spa service business in Vietnam The Vietnamese market is an emerging opportunity for the beauty industry, fueled by several key trends and seen as highly potential in terms of both market and resource appeal Specifically, modern trade is growing rapidly in Vietnam and is more likely to welcome international and regional brands in its network Main chain stores selling beauty products, such as Medicare, Guardian and Pharmacity, expanded rapidly in 2017 Accompanying with the growth wave of beauty trends in Asia, the beauty care industry, spa business in Vietnam is also growing positively The skills of business administration, human resource management, building and promoting spa brand image also need to be focused due to fierce competition and industry specificity; The process of beauty and skin care is increasingly complex, the basic needs are upgraded The current beauty trend in the Vietnamese market is gradually changing, providing more advanced beauty solutions, keeping up with global beauty trends Vietnamese women are more willing to pay more for beauty products, skin care equipment or care products that work from the inside The spa business type with the largest contribution in the industry is located mainly in hotels & resorts (accounting for 86% of the total revenue of the industry, the remaining 14% is the contribution of other types of spas) This statistical result may be affected by incomplete revenue declarations of privately owned or retail spas Foreign spa and resort brands in Vietnam often focus on investing in the Central Coast region such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Lang Co and recently in the southern seas such as Phu Quoc, Phan Thiet On the customer side, the tendency to pay for beauty services is increasing Some Vietnamese women will often still perform beauty treatments even though they are not too rich in money Besides, according to a survey on the Vietnamese 11 12 cosmetic market conducted in 2020, the cost of going to a spa and salon from 100,000 - 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 - 5,000,000 are common payment levels The payment for skincare at home per month is mostly under 300,000 VND If you compare these numbers with the current per capita income of our country, the beauty service is really a potential market YD: Vietnamese women's intention to use spa services 3.2 Research design HA: Concern about self-image 3.2.1 Research procedure ε: random error The research process of the thesis proceeds through the following steps: Research on theoretical basis and overview of research works; Qualitative research; Preliminary quantitative research; Formal quantitative research 3.3 Qualitative research 3.3.1 Methods of implementation In this study, the PhD student used individual in-depth interview techniques and group discussions to collect data for qualitative research 3.3.2 Qualitative research results Based on the results of qualitative research, the characteristics and psychological factors of customers such as: Attitude towards spa services; Subjective norms; Perceived behavioral control; Concern about self-image can be used to predict the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women, removing the mental health variable from the research model, adding more scales: “I consider good looks an advantage in modern life”, “This spa service matches my self-image” 3.4 Quantitative research 3.4.1 Quantitative study design - Preliminary quantitative research: according to experience to evaluate the reliability of the scale, the minimum sample size is n = 30 observations, so the researcher chooses the sample size for preliminary quantitative research is n = 100 observations - Formal quantitative research: in this study, there are independent variables and dependent variable with a total of 24 observed variables, the sample size is n = 700 observations The original proposed regression equation is as follows: YD = β0+ β1 TĐ+ β2 CM+ β3NT + β4 HA + ߝ In which: TD: Attitude towards spa services CM: Subjective norm NT: Perceived behavioral control 3.5 Statistics of research samples To achieve the desired sample size of 700 observations, the PhD student collected data by direct survey at the spa in the North (Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh The collected data includes of 659 respondents 13 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH RESULTS 4.1 Results of the general behavioral assessment of the intention to use spa services 14 4.3.1 Correlation coefficient test 4.2 Scale test results The results in the analysis show the correlation relationship between the mean values of the observed variables and the dependent variable According to the results of correlation analysis in Table 4.15, all variables have a correlation coefficient of 0.01, corresponding to a significance level of 99% The correlation coefficient between the mean values of the independent and dependent variables ranges from 14.7% to 62.5% No multicollinearity occurs Sig results in the correlation analysis table all reached sig = 0.000 < 0.005 Thus, it can be temporarily concluded that these independent variables are appropriate when included in the model to explain the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese consumers 4.2.1 The EFA results 4.3.2 Regression analysis and hypothesis test In the first part of the survey, the PhD student conducted a number of questions related to the general behavior of Vietnamese women about the intention to use spa services such as: frequency of spa visits, reasons for going to spa, commonly used services and affordability for a spa visit of Vietnamese women Through these questions, the PhD student has grasped some basic characteristics of the situation of using spa services of Vietnamese women Through the KMO and Barlett test, when evaluating the value of the independent and dependent variable scales, the factor analysis values are suitable with the research data, showing that the data used for factor analysis is completely appropriate The observed variables are correlated with each other in the population 4.2.2 Analysis of the mean value of the scale The results of the mean value of the scale show that the observed variables of the scale in the independent variable and the intention variable to use spa services have the smallest value of and the maximum value of Value of the mean of all scales is greater than The absolute values of Skewness and Kurtosis indexes are in the range of -1.1, reflecting variable data on intention to use spa services with relatively standard and follow sufficient distribution, which can be used for carrying out further testing and analysis 4.2.3 The reliability test results (Cronbach’ Alpha) The reliability test results all the scales have satisfactory reliability, it is reasonable to use these scales to calculate the next steps All scales meet the set requirements and no scale is rejected This can also be explained by the qualitative research step, the author also had in-depth interviews with the subjects about the appropriateness of the scales This can be seen that, at the qualitative research step, the requirements set forth by the author have been relatively ensured and the views of the in-depth interviewees are quite consistent with the general trend on the factors affecting the intention to use spa services of women in Vietnam 4.3 Analyzing the relationship between the independent variable and the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women Table 4.1 Regression analysis results of the relationship of factors intention to use spa services Unstandardized est B Model (Constant) Attitude towards spa services Std Error -.654 121 266 019 Standardized est Beta Multicollinearity t 301 Sig -5.416 006 13.708 026 Partial correlation 887 VIF 1.127 Subjective norm 274 020 292 13.783 000 950 1.052 Perceived behavioral control 306 019 337 15.889 003 947 1.056 Concern about self-image 363 019 427 19.359 000 875 1.142 -3.716 000 (Constant) -.526 142 Attitude towards spa services 259 019 292 13.446 018 861 1.162 Subjective norm 249 020 265 12.347 024 882 1.133 Perceived behavioral control 292 019 322 15.158 000 904 1.106 Concern about self-image 349 019 411 18.040 028 786 1.272 Age 004 001 096 3.865 012 654 1.530 -.008 012 -.016 -.661 509 723 1.383 065 049 036 1.328 185 554 1.804 Monthly average income High school 15 Intermediate college -.059 035 16 -.043 -1.695 091 636 1.572 Graduate -.027 034 -.022 -.786 432 515 1.942 Post-graduate -.054 035 -.037 -1.536 125 706 1.415 Student 096 062 037 1.561 119 714 1.400 Officer 044 042 028 1.069 285 598 1.673 Production worker 001 059 000 015 988 873 1.146 Public servants -.001 036 000 -.021 983 847 1.180 Manager, business owner 001 030 001 033 973 696 1.437 Housewife, retirement 024 037 015 633 527 716 1.397 a Dependent Variable: intention to use spa services Source: calculated by author For normal data, the VIF coefficient should be less than 2, then there will be no multicollinearity Thus, looking at the table of regression results, all dependent variables in the model has VIF value < It can be concluded that multicolnearity does not occur in the model The relationship between the independent and dependent variables in the model is shown through the following linear regression equation: intention to use spa services Only the age variable has sig < 0.05, so it can confirm that the age variable is statistically significant and affects the intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women Thus, the regression model is rewritten as follows: YD = -0,526+ 0,259 TD+ 0,249CM+ 0,292NT + 0,349 HA + 0,04T 4.4 Comparing the difference between demographic characteristics and intention to use spa services of Vietnamese women by using ANOVA analysis 4.4.1 Comparing the difference between in intention to use spa services among Vietnamese women in different age groups According to the results of the Anova table, sig