社群媒體對於顧客在台灣選擇餐廳的影響

Abstract

Previous research has shown that sharing food is a form of nonverbal communication that allows one to create social intimacy with others and establish one’s social hierarchy. The purpose of this research was to identify possible factors that influence customers’ behaviour and attitude regarding social media and restaurant choices in Taiwan. A total of 501 responses were collected through an online questionnaire. The results have shown that respondents who value food tasting the most were more likely to know restaurants that are popular in Taiwan but were more likely to be influenced by the factors of deliciousness, dining atmosphere, and price (Hypothesis 1). Respondents were more likely to enjoy looking at foodporn on Facebook compared to Instagram. Contrary, they were more likely to share dining experiences or pictures on Instagram compared to Facebook (Hypothesis 2). Respondents who are highly influenced by social media were more likely to trust the reviews on social media if it is a Michelin-Starred restaurant compared to a non-Michelin-Starred restaurant (Hypothesis 3). The frequency of dining out was not positively correlated with the tendency to search for new restaurants through social media (Hypothesis 4). Overall, it was evident that social media play a crucial role in facilitating consumers’ restaurant search process and decision-making process. Future research can examine Western and Eastern countries to identify behavioural differences that may arise from cultural differences and expand into topics of social media influencers and key opinion leader (KOL) partnerships by examining the factors how these factors can influence customers’ purchasing decisions.