WHAT DRIVES SATISFACTION? EXPLORING CONSUMPTION VALUES OF KOREAN INSTANT FOOD CONSUMERS IN MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/AIJBES.829132Keywords:
Consumer Satisfaction, Halal, Korean Instant Food, Theory of Consumption ValuesAbstract
This study examines consumer satisfaction towards Korean instant food among Malaysian consumers through an extended Theory of Consumption Values (TCV) perspective. Although previous Malaysian studies have investigated awareness, preference, cultural acceptance and consumption intention towards Korean food, limited research has examined the joint contribution of multiple consumption-value dimensions to consumer satisfaction, particularly with the inclusion of halal value as a context-specific consideration. The study examines eight dimensions: emotional, quality, social, epistemic, functional, conditional, price and halal value. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 316 Malaysian consumers with experience in Korean instant food. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple regression using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 29. At the 10% significance level, social value (β = .127, p = .072), conditional value (β = .099, p = .055), and price value (β = .117, p = .079) demonstrated significant positive unique relationships with consumer satisfaction, whereas the remaining consumption-value dimensions did not demonstrate significant unique relationships. The findings extend TCV to the foreign-food consumption context by demonstrating that selected consumption-value dimensions make unique contributions to satisfaction and that their relative contribution is context dependent. The findings imply that marketers should strengthen the social appeal, situational relevance and perceived value for money of Korean instant food, while credible halal assurance should be maintained to support product acceptability and consumer confidence in the Malaysian market.
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