Factors Affecting Filipino Consumer Behavior with Korean Products and Services: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Approach

Abstract

Korean entertainment industries are dominating all over the world, including in the Philippines. These celebrated mediums included Korean movies, songs, and products, many of which are beloved by Filipinos. As such, this study aims to determine factors that affect the buying decisions of Filipinos with Korean products and services by an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) approach. A total of 306 Filipino survey participants were collected and analyzed in this study through a convenience sampling approach. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data using SmartPLS, which determined the correlation of the latent constructs of the factors. Based on the results, attitude had the highest effect on behavioral intention, followed by K-drama influence, K-pop influence, and product quality. Interestingly, product price was found to have a low effect on behavioral intention. This study can serve as a basis for investors and business owners to align business strategies concerning consumer behavior in buying Korean products and services.

1. Introduction

The increasing popularity of the Korean entertainment industry has spread to different countries, and this sensation is commonly refered to as Hallyu. Also known as the Korean wave, this increased popularity represents the rapid development of Korea’s cultural industries and their export of cultural goods since 1997 [1]. These include television programs, popular music (K-pop), animation, and video games. The US Billboard charts are dominated by a number of K-pop group bands, including Blackpink, Monsta X, and BTS. International companies such as McDonald’s have started promotional campaigns with BTS because of their widespread appeal. In part because of these incentives, sales at US restaurants have increased by 5.5% in about three months that ended on 31 December 2022, according to CNN [2]. Additionally, Korean dramas and movies, such as the most recent releases “Squid Game (2021)” and “All of Us are Dead (2022)”, are gaining popularity and have reached the top of the Netflix charts.

The Philippines, particularly, has been swept up in the Korean wave. Undoubtedly, it is typical for Filipinos to adapt to and embrace different cultures and traditions. Filipinos embrace the Korean lifestyle in terms of fashion, cuisine, cosmetics, and other things. They also adore and love Korean celebrities. Filipinos in the Philippines have adopted Korean culture, including teaching Korean in public schools. Recently, the Department of Education of the Philippines has agreed to offer elective Korean language instruction as one of the Special Programs in Foreign Languages [3]. Additionally, there are other Korean businesses spread out around the nation. In Korean Town, which is situated in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, people can take in and experience Korean culture. The neighborhood exudes a strong Korean spirit by dining at Korean restaurants, purchasing Korean goods, visiting KTVs, and doing other activities.

Considering the Filipino patronage of Korean Culture, only a few studies have connected Filipino consumer behavior, choice, and justification for purchasing Korean goods and services. Filipinos are known for their distinctive traits since they look for the goods they need and desire [4]. The buying decisions of typical Filipino buyers are dependent on their budget [4], individual vanity, and materialism [5]; these factors are especially influenced by interactions among peers [6], as well as social media [6]. Consumer behavior includes all actions taken by consumers in connection with the acquisition, use, and disposal of goods and services and the emotional, mental, and behavioral reactions that precede influence or result from these actions [7].

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the thinking and behavior of Filipino consumers. As a result, people’s lifestyles have undergone several modifications and restrictions. The pandemic has caused problems with the availability of resources, people’s ability to travel and acquire goods, and the permanent or temporary closures of businesses. COVID-19 encouraged people to use social media more frequently, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Zoom, platforms that can be used for communication, sales and marketing, and sources of information [8]. As a result, public figures and online influencers have become more prevalent than ever before.

Considering how COVID-19 impacted Filipino purchasing habits, we wanted to examine Filipino purchasing habits with particular regard to Korean goods and services. In line with this, we posited the following question: “How does the international popularity of the Korean entertainment industry influence the perceptions, attitudes, and buying decisions of Filipino people?” The current study aimed to identify the impact of the Korean wave on Filipino culture, as well as to determine the significant factors affecting Filipinos’ buying decisions concerning the Korean entertainment industry. We also sought to determine the perceived acceptance of Korean culture and products.

This study applied high and low participation levels of the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine the factors that affect Filipino consumers’ decisions to purchase Korean goods and services. The combination of the ELM and TPB was able to consider respondents’ buying decisions. Product quality and pricing are examples of low involvement in ELM, while inspiration from Korean pop stars and actors/actresses is an example of high involvement. TPB includes perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and attitude. The findings of this study can aid marketers and advertisers in their analysis of Filipino consumers’ attitudes toward Korean goods and personalities. The results of this study may also be helpful to those who want to start a business in the Philippines. Moreover, the study focuses on how the Korean entertainment industry, in terms of Korean pop stars and actors, affects Filipino buying decisions.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Conceptual Framework

The theoretical framework of this study is based on the combined theory of ELM and TPB. The TPB is an extension of the theory of reason action (TRA), which hypothesizes that behavior is influenced by an individual’s intention to perform the behavior [9,10]. Attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) form the behavioral intention (BI) [11], as shown in Figure 1.

In this study, attitude refers to the positive emotional feeling toward Korean culture. Their attitude toward products and services can predict the behavior of individual consumers, and a purchase prediction is derived from a positive attitude [12]. However, a person’s attitude towards a product or service may change due to different factors. Previous studies show that cultural factors significantly impact consumer attitudes [13,14]. With this, the first hypothesis is formulated as follows:

Hypothesis 1 (H1).

Attitude (ATT) significantly influences a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

Subjective norms indicate an individual’s perceptions of social influence, such as beliefs that significant others want them to participate in the target behavior [15]. The influence of other people around individuals impacts their decision making, such as family, friends, colleagues, and others. Therefore, the second hypothesis is formulated as:

Hypothesis 2 (H2).

Subjective norms (SN) significantly influence a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

Perceived behavioral control is an element extending the theory of reasoned action and describes an individual’s perception of personal capacities or constraints (factors like time, money, and chance) of performing a specific behavior [16,17]. The limited resources of an individual may hinder and affect the ability to decide to buy a product.

With COVID-19, many establishments closed worldwide. The constraints in buying products caused by scarcity of supplies and shipment issues have limited our capability to buy goods and services. A recent study on predicting behavioral intentions to prevent or mitigate COVID-19 shows that perceived behavioral control has the strongest correlations with intentions and behaviors [18]. During COVID-19, when establishments started to open, several people still hesitated to go outside and buy products and even eat in restaurants. COVID-19 caused people to buy more products in fear of supply scarcity of personal protective equipment [19,20]. Therefore, the third hypothesis is formulated as follows:

Hypothesis 3 (H3).

Perceived behavioral control (PBC) significantly influences a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

Another part of the framework is the ELM. The ELM theory considers the processes responsible for persuasive communication and to which the attitude towards a process is changed or strengthened [21]. Since people, in general, are easily persuaded by different factors, ELM of persuasion can determine the behavioral change of attitude in buying Korean products and services. ELM considers the importance of cognitive responses, i.e., the consumers’ thoughts in processing information presented by marketing-related messages [22]. It consists of the central route (high involvement), which depends on the information that the marketers provide, and the peripheral route (low involvement), which focuses on the product itself [23]. In Figure 1, the latent variable that affects behavioral intention (BI) in the ELM includes product quality (PQ) and product price (PP) for low involvement, and high involvement includes those inspired by K-pop (KP) and inspired by K-drama (KD). In this study, PQ and PP were used as elements for the central processing route given that each provide product-related information [24] that is highly important to decision-making. KP and KD, on the other hand, were used as social connection factors [24] and influential cues [25] in the peripheral processing route.

Consumers buy products based on their quality. Quality refers to the reliability or value of the product’s attributes to the consumer. Previous research stated that the higher the product quality, the higher the purchase intention of the buyer [26]. The quality of the product may bring contentment or satisfaction with the features of the product. Therefore, the sixth hypothesis is formulated as follows:

Hypothesis 4 (H4).

Product quality (PQ) significantly influences a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

Other people buy products based on price tags. Price means the amount of money paid for consumer goods. For example, when choosing an item, a customer checks the price of different brands and decides which product to buy. Price is a real clue that consumers use in their purchasing decisions [27,28]. However, some people do not mind the price of the product. In this study, we tested the assumption of price having a significant factor in a product. The seventh hypothesis is thus formulated as follows:

Hypothesis 5 (H5).

Product price (PP) significantly influences a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

With the increasing popularity of Korean entertainment, especially among K-pop artists, fans worldwide have also embraced Korean products and services. According to a previous study on the attitudes toward Korean products and Korean culture, the more hours and the more times someone engages with K-pop are essential factors for determining whether someone will develop a positive attitude towards and purchase Korean products [29]. People tend to buy a commercialized product advertised or used by their favorite K-pop idols. In this study, KP refers to the influence of Korean pop stars and music on the buying decisions of Filipino consumers on Korean products and services. Therefore, the eighth hypothesis is formulated as follows:

Hypothesis 6 (H6).

Inspired by K-pop (KP) significantly influences a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

Many Filipinos watch Korean dramas for different reasons, whether because of the actors, genre, or storyline. In a research study conducted in Indonesia, the rapid growth in cosmetics is associated with the brand image of a product used by celebrities in Korean dramas [30]. This study assumed that the habit of Filipinos watching Korean dramas may affect their buying decision for Korean products. Therefore, the ninth hypothesis is formulated as follows:

Hypothesis 7 (H7).

Inspired by K-drama (KD) significantly influences a consumer’s behavioral intention (BI) in buying Korean products or services.

2.2. Respondents

The purposive convenience sampling method was used to identify the participants in this study. The survey questionnaire was distributed online through Google forms on different social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Facebook groups, and WhatsApp. The purpose of this study was to analyze the behavior and factors affecting the buying decision of Filipino people. Thus, Filipino respondents must be buying or using a Korean product or service set as the accepted response criteria to get an unbiased answer or perception of those who use the product or services. Based on this criterion, 306 out of 336 (91.1%) of the responses were accepted and analyzed.

2.3. Questionnaire

The factors affecting consumer buying behavior towards Korean product and services is based on the TPB and ELM, such as attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), product quality (PQ), product price (PP), inspired by K-pop (KP), and inspired by K-drama (KD). A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the latent constructs from 1 as “I Strongly Disagree” to 5 as “I Strongly Agree” to determine the influence of each statement on the respondents with the behavioral intention of buying Korean products and services. The survey questionnaire used in this study can be found in Table A1 in the Appendix A. Structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 4 software was utilized to analyze the correlation between the latent.

3. Results

Based on the 306 accepted participants, there were 211 (69%) females and 95 (31%) males. In terms of age category, the distribution was as follows: 6 (2%) less than 18 years old, 30 (10%) 18–24 years old, 182 (59%) 25–34 years old, 77 (25%) 35–49 years old, and 11 (4%) ages above 50 years old. There were 208 (68%) who were employed full-time, 11 (3%) were employed part-time, 39 (13%) were self-employed, 27 (9%) were students, and 21 (7%) were unemployed. The monthly income or allowance of the respondents were 94 (31%) for 0–₱14,999.00, 79 (26%) for ₱15,000.00–₱29,999.00, 61(21%) for ₱30,000–₱49,999.00, and 72 (23%) for above ₱50,000.00. The annual budget or expenses was also identified to determine the allotted spending on Korean products and services. The distribution was 261 (85%) for a budget of 0–₱9999.00, 30 (10%) for ₱10,000.00–₱19,999.00, 6 (2%) for ₱20,000–₱29,999.00, and 9 (3%) for above ₱30,000.00.

The participants were also asked about Korean products and services. Table 1 summarizes the Korean products and services that the respondents usually buy, and the factors that affect buying decision is shown in Table 2. The majority buy Korean foods (284), followed by Korean cosmetics (121), Korean fashion (74), other Korean products (46), and lastly, speak the Korean language (31). Product quality (190) was the top reason for buying Korean products and services, followed by the social factor (127), inspired by K-drama actors/actresses (112), and value for money (77). The least influential factor was inspired by K-pop stars (26).

Individual perceptions of buying Korean goods or services may vary depending on resources or capability. The monthly income or allowance was categorized into different classes such as low class (0–₱14,999.00), middle class (₱15,000.00–₱29,999.00), middle-high class (₱30,000–₱49,999.00), and high class (Above ₱50,000.00). A cross-tabulation of behavioral intention with income class is presented in Table 3. The behavioral intention of buying Korean products and services is seen as the majority ranges from middle to high class.

The goodness of fit was used to describe the fitness of the data gathered from a population. Standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) was used to measure the fit index of the model. In this study, the value of SRMR was 0.08, which was accepted with a criteria of less than 0.10 [31] or 0.08 [32]. The coefficient of determination or R square was described as substantial (0.75), moderate (0.5), and weak (0.25) [33]. The adjusted r-square value of behavioral intention was 0.556, which implied that the model was a moderately good fit.

The construct and reliability of gathered data are examined. Based on the test result in Table 4, the values of the factors fit the basis of acceptable criteria. The Cronbach’s Alpha (α) minimum value on the table was 0.761, which was greater than 0.7 [34]. A minimum value was 0.768, which was greater than 0.5 [35,36,37,38]; for composite reliability (Re), the minimum value was 0.848, which was greater than 0.7, and the average variance expected (AVE) minimum value was 0.583, which was greater than 0.5.

Figure 2 shows the model’s SEM based on the theoretical framework. The SEM diagram depicts the relationship between the latent variables attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, PQ, PP, inspired by K-pop, and inspired by K-drama with the BI of buying Korean products and services. All the questions on each latent variable are considered since the factor loading values were >0.7. A higher value than 0.7 signified that the factor extracted sufficient variance from that variable [39].

The path analysis in Table 5 shows that according to the hypothesis generated, attitude and inspired by K-drama were the factors that directly affected the behavioral intention of buying Korean products and services. The mean, standard deviation, T statistics, and p values are illustrated in the table for each latent variable concerning behavioral intention.

4. Discussion

4.1. Theorerical Implications

According to the results of the SEM, one aspect of each hypothesis influences how Filipino consumers decide whether or not to purchase Korean goods and services. The decision to purchase Korean goods and services is influenced by one’s attitude toward Korean culture. Filipinos generally have a positive interest in Korean culture, especially regarding the food and products that make them feel comfortable. Similar findings demonstrate a favorable relationship between Hallyu and the perception of Korean goods [40,41,42].

Contrary to what the TPB claimed, subjective norms do not always correlate with purchasing intention. According to this study’s results, subjective norms of the people and society around customers have no bearing on their choice to purchase Korean goods and services. The majority of respondents’ opinions of the product likely influenced their decision to purchase. Similarly, Garcia et al., (2020) found that subjective norms do not influence customers’ cross-cultural online behavior [43].

The results indicated that behavioral intention to buy is not directly impacted by perceived behavioral control. However, the results show a contrast between the theory and studies on green purchase intention [44] and the intention to purchase healthy food among Korean consumers [45]. It indicates that an individual’s purchasing power’s restrictions and limitations do not compel or prohibit them from making purchases. Despite the limitations imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a wide variety of means to buy things have also surfaced.

ELM’s theory on low involvement includes product price and quality. Surprisingly, in this study, the product’s price and quality had no bearing on the behavioral intention to buy, probably due to the strong driving force of attitude toward Korean culture. The outcome opposes the result in other research that competitive price influences consumer purchase intention in the context of social commerce [46]. The pricing of Korean goods and services does not indicate whether a person will buy. The quality of the product is the consumer’s top factor that affects the intention to buy. According to a study conducted on an online store, product quality significantly impacts consumers’ buying choices [47]. However, SEM shows that quality does not relatively affect behavioral purchase intention.

According to a study conducted in Malaysia, Korean entertainment, such as dramas and pop music performers, impacts millennials’ intentions to buy Korean goods and services [48]. This study separates the effects of K-drama and K-pop to examine how each affects the consumer. The result shows that Filipinos have a positive interest in Korean products and watching them in Korean dramas makes them more appealing and drives in promotion of Korean culture and the products and services that Korea has. Watching a K-drama or K-movie, having a favorite actor or actress to advocate for a product, having a favorite actor or actress consume a product, and having a favorite actor or actress become closer to the consumers are all examples of how these indicators have significant effects on purchase intention. It supports a study that found that product visibility on television or social media is most likely to change customers’ opinions and that a positive attitude is reflected in purchase intention [49].

4.2. Practical Implications

In the Philippines, many people intend to open stores and restaurants featuring Korean goods and themes. The current study might help investors and business owners to align business strategies on customer behavior in purchasing Korean goods and services. As a result of strategic alignment, it will help the firm to earn more and be profitable. According to the results, the primary variables influencing purchase intention are consumer attitudes toward Korean culture and inspiration from actors and actresses. According to a recent study on Hallyu in the Philippines, Filipinos are drawn to Korean culture because of the similarities between their cultural perspectives and the lifestyles portrayed in Korean dramas [50]. The same study found that Filipino customers adopt Korean-looking lifestyle changes, including clothing and hairstyles, and purchase goods used or promoted by Korean entertainment stars.

This study highlights food as the most popular Korean consumer goods. A love for food is unquestionably a Filipino characteristic. As a result, many eateries, food stalls, and restaurants exist in the Philippines. Moreover, Korean restaurants and groceries have been expanding because of the popularity of Korean film and music among Filipinos [51]. Consumers are more likely to buy products or foods when they feel the ambiance or atmosphere of being Korean, bringing them closer to their idols. Thus, it is suggested that the business owners be updated with the products promoted in Korean dramas or products the artists are advertising to attract consumers.

4.3. Implications on Sustainable Consumption of Korean Products and Services

Sustainable consumption refers to the use of products and services while minimizing the use of toxic materials and natural resources for future generations [52]. The increasing popularity of the Korean entertainment industry brings about Korean products and services to be well-known, resulting in an increase in consumption around the globe. While Korean consumers are aware of sustainability by saving resources/energy and purchasing eco-labeled products [53], Filipino consumers may adopt this attitude and behavior as well. The materials and packaging used to transport Korean products may be addressed with sustainable production.

Korean cosmetics are one of the products that people buy worldwide. Cosmetics firms are adopting eco-friendly packaging by developing paper containers [54] and refillable versions with the use of bioplastic [55]. Korean cosmetics are developing products using sustainable raw materials. Since many people are using Korean cosmetics, companies may be influenced to follow the sustainability initiatives of Korean cosmetic suppliers. In addition, Korean food companies are taking initiatives to improve products in line with sustainability as Korean consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products [56]. Sustainability initiatives of Korean companies promote sustainable awareness to people consuming their products across the globe.

This research allows companies to focus on introducing attractive sustainable products to be distributed across different countries. Since Korean food and cosmetics are top Korean products where Filipino consumers are buying, suppliers may promote sustainability by using eco-friendly raw materials and packaging.

4.4. Limitation and Future Research

This study can be a basis for investors and business owners to align business strategies concerning consumer behavior in buying Korean products and services. However, there are several limitations to the study, i.e., the number of respondents is limited to 306, and results may differ with a larger respondent pool. Future research may take a different approach to statistical tools and models. Most of the respondents were employed, and students only comprised a third of all respondents. Future research could also expand this study based on age category and focus on millennials who are seen to be active consumers of the Korean entertainment industry.

This research contributes to a better understanding of the factors that affect the behavioral intention of Filipino people regarding the consumption of Korean products and services. However, there are several areas to be considered in future research.

• This study uses the TPB approach with the combination of the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Other variables and theories, such as hedonic motivation, may also be added. Future research may conduct a different approach to statistical tools.

• The indirect relationship of each construct is not included. Future research may include links between each latent variable to identify indirect effect of each factor with purchase intention.

• The age demographic distribution in this study ranges from 18 years old to more than 50 years old. Since the Korean entertainment industry is known to be popular with the younger generation, future research may explore based on age category and focus on generation Z and/or millennials.

• The number of respondents was limited to 306 participants, and results may differ with a larger respondent pool. A longer period of gathering data with more platforms of distribution may result in a substantial random sample. In addition, this study may also be conducted in other countries.

• Since the focus of this study is Korean products and services, future research may explore products from other countries, such as Japan.

5. Conclusions

Korean entertainment industries have become international successes, and the Philippines is hardly immune to its influence. This study aimed to determine factors that affected the buying decisions of Filipinos with Korean products and services using an extended TPB approach. A total of 306 Filipino survey participants were collected and analyzed in this study through a convenience approach. SEM was utilized to analyze the data using SmartPLS in determining the correlation of the latent constructs of the factors.

In general, the Korean entertainment industry was found to have a significant impact on the consumer behavior of Filipino people. In addition, attitude was found to have the highest effect on behavioral intention, followed by K-drama influence, K-pop influence, and product quality. Interestingly, product price was found to have a low effect on the behavioral intention. This study can be a basis for investors and business owners to align business strategies concerning consumer behavior in buying Korean products and services.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, C.J.G.C., Y.T.P., S.F.P. and K.A.M.; methodology, C.J.G.C., Y.T.P., S.F.P. and K.A.M.; software, C.J.G.C., Y.T.P., S.F.P. and K.A.M.; validation, R.N., R.D.B. and M.J.J.G.; formal analysis, C.J.G.C., Y.T.P., S.F.P. and K.A.M.; investigation, C.J.G.C., Y.T.P., S.F.P. and K.A.M.; resources C.J.G.C.; writing—original draft preparation, C.J.G.C., Y.T.P., S.F.P. and K.A.M.; writing—review and editing, R.N., R.D.B. and M.J.J.G.; supervision, Y.T.P., S.F.P. and R.D.B.; funding acquisition, M.J.J.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

This study was approved by Mapua University Research Ethics Committees (FM-RC-22-102).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study (FM-RC-22-102).

Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Acknowledgments

The researchers would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the respondents of this study despite the current COVID-19 inflation rate.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Footnotes

Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1. Theoretical framework.

Figure 2. SEM results of the model.

Table 1

Korean products/services bought by respondents.

Korean Products/Services	No. of Respondents
Korean cosmetics	121
Korean foods	284
Korean fashion	74
Korean language	31
Other Korean products	46

Table 2

Factors affecting buying Korean products/services.

Korean Products/Services	No. of Respondents
Inspired by K-drama actors/actress	112
Inspired by K-pop star	26
Product quality	190
Value for money	77
Social factors (influenced by family, friends, colleagues/classmates)	127

Table 3

Cross tabulation.

I plan to buy Korean product/services on my future purchases
Class category	1	2	3	4	5	Total
Low class	6%	3%	31%	36%	23%	100%
middle class	4%	11%	35%	32%	18%	100%
middle-high class	7%	2%	28%	44%	20%	100%
high class	4%	13%	26%	31%	26%	100%
Total	5%	7%	30%	36%	22%	100%
I plan to buy Korean product/services on my future purchases
Class category	1	2	3	4	5	Total
Low class	4%	10%	32%	24%	30%	100%
middle class	1%	10%	42%	29%	18%	100%
middle-high class	3%	11%	33%	41%	11%	100%
high class	3%	17%	35%	17%	29%	100%
Total	3%	12%	35%	28%	22%	100%
I plan to eat in a Korean restaurant alone or with my family
Class category	1	2	3	4	5	Total
Low class	2%	6%	21%	29%	41%	100%
middle class	5%		34%	27%	34%	100%
middle-high class	2%	3%	13%	52%	30%	100%
high class	4%	6%	18%	26%	46%	100%
Total	3%	4%	22%	34%	38%	100%
I will implement Korean Lifestyle in my life
Class category	1	2	3	4	5	Total
Low class	14%	18%	40%	19%	9%	100%
middle class	14%	28%	39%	14%	5%	100%
middle-high class	10%	28%	48%	11%	3%	100%
high class	18%	24%	38%	13%	8%	100%
Total	14%	24%	41%	14%	6%	100%

Table 4

Construct reliability and validity.

Factors	Cronbach’s Alpha	rho_A	Composite Reliability	Average Variance Extracted (AVE)
ATT	0.771	0.777	0.855	0.597
BI	0.761	0.768	0.848	0.583
KD	0.950	0.950	0.964	0.871
KP	0.970	0.971	0.978	0.918
PBC	0.873	0.887	0.912	0.722
PP	0.836	0.873	0.888	0.666
PQ	0.872	0.882	0.913	0.723
SN	0.794	0.815	0.866	0.619

Table 5

SEM path analysis.

Hypothesis	Mean	SD	T Statistics	p Values
ATT → BI	0.486	0.059	8.243	0.000
SN → BI	0.002	0.069	0.023	0.982
PBC → BI	−0.040	0.047	0.929	0.353
PQ → BI	0.103	0.081	1.279	0.201
PP → BI	0.056	0.067	0.860	0.390
KP → BI	0.130	0.079	1.611	0.107
KD → BI	0.213	0.077	2.808	0.005
Hypothesis	Mean	SD	T Statistics	p Values	2.5%	97.5%
ATT → BI	0.486	0.059	8.243	0	0.366	0.599
SN → BI	0.002	0.069	0.023	0.982	−0.131	0.139
PBC → BI	−0.04	0.047	0.929	0.353	−0.127	0.055
PQ → BI	0.103	0.081	1.279	0.201	−0.051	0.258
PP → BI	0.056	0.067	0.86	0.39	−0.081	0.182
KP → BI	0.13	0.079	1.611	0.107	−0.010	0.284
KD → BI	0.213	0.077	2.808	0.005	0.049	0.353

Appendix A

Table A1

Survey questionnaire.

I. Participant Details

Gender:

___Male

___Female

Age:

___less than 18 years old

___18–24 years old

___25–34 years old

___35–50 years old

___above 50 years old

Monthly Income or Allowance:

___0–₱14,999.00

___₱15,000.00–₱29,999.00

___₱30,000–₱49,999.00

___Above ₱50,000.00

Occupation:

___Student

___Unemployed

___Employed Full-time

___Employed Part-time

___Self-employed

II. Korean Product or Services

Answer the following questions (choose as many as applicable)

What is/are the Korean Products/Service do you usually buy/learn?

___Korean Cosmetics

___Korean Foods

___Korean Fashion

___Korean Language

___Other Korean products

What makes you buy these products or services?

___Inspired by K-drama actors/actress

___Inspired by K-pop star

___Product Quality

___Value for Money

___Social factors

III. Factors Affecting Buying Decision

Answer the following items by marking the column that corresponds to your answer.

Rating Scale:

5-Strongly agree

4-Somewhat agree

3-Neither agree nor disagree

2-Somewhat disagree

1-Strongly disagree

Perceived Behavioral Control

PBC1. I have the resources to buy Korean products/services

PBC2. I can buy Korean Products/Services whenever I want

PBC3. It is easy for me to buy Korean Products/Services

PBC4. I am capable of buying Korean products/services

Subjective Norm

SN1. People around me (friends, family, colleagues/classmates) influence me to buy Korean products/services

SN2. People on social media influence me to buy Korean products/services

SN3. I purchase Korean products since they are current fashion or trends

SN4. I purchase Korean products since they are able to make myself socially acceptable

Attitude

ATT1. I like Korean products

ATT2. I feel comfortable using Korean products

ATT3. I love eating Korean foods

ATT4. I like Korean Culture as whole

Low Involvement: Product Quality

I buy Korean products/services:

PQ1. based on the quality

PQ2. because of the benefits I got from it

PQ3. because it suits my taste

PQ4. because it is useful

Low Involvement: Product Price

I buy Korean products/services:

PP1. because it is affordable

PP2. because of value for money

PP3. because it is worth it

PP4. because it is cheap

High Involvement: Inspired by K-pop idols

I buy Korean products/services:

KP1. because it was endorsed by K-pop idols

KP2. my K-pop idol uses the product

KP3. because it featured K-pop idols

KP4. because it brings me closer to my favorite K-pop idol

High Involvement: Inspired by K-drama actor/Actress

I buy Korean products/services:

KD1. because I watched it in K-movie/K-drama

KD2. because it was endorsed by my favorite actor/actress

KD3. because my favorite actor/actress uses it

KD4. it brings me closer to my favorite actor/actress

Behavioral Intention

BI1. I plan to buy Korean product/services on my future purchases

BI2. I intend to learn more about Korean Culture

BI3. I plan to eat in a Korean restaurant alone or with my family

BI4. I will implement Korean Lifestyle in my life

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