12A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No.1

I interviewed individuals from the young adult segment (Juan, Danielle, and Reeya) because of their frequent activities outdoors and their need for convenience. 

Interestingly, Juan realized this need when he became an upperclassman and started participating in interviews and events that required him to dress professionally in business attire. “One time, (Oh it was horrible) I was kind of running late and then it started to rain and luckily I had an umbrella in my trunk but my shoes got soaked,” he explained. His interview went well, but the fact that his feet were soggy didn’t bring him any comfort. When I ask him what he did for subsequent occurrence like the one he previously mentioned, he said just uses Publix bags to wrap him shoes in and throws them away before walking into the building.

Danielle realized she had an unmet need when she went to Magic Kingdom and mistakenly sat too close to the front of the ride and got completely soaked. “It was stupid to not bring anything, but I wasn’t really thinking about it in the moment.” She said everything dried up pretty fast, except her shoes. She also was annoyed that her bag was wet and might have damaged her phone. She explained that solving her issue isn’t that imperative now since she doesn’t frequently go the amusement parks, but in the future, she will bring a poncho and a waterproof bag for your electronics. She searched up the clear, plastic phone pouches that one can carry around one’s neck as something she has considered buying for future trips.

Reeya said this issue became apparent to her when she moved to Gainesville and had to start walking everywhere on campus. “It’s really bad since I live in Infinity, and it’s really far from the rest of campus.” She explains that although it’s been rainy in Miami, where she used to live, it never really mattered since she was always under a roof, be it at home, school, or in a car. Now, she says she has a big rain jacket, rain boats, umbrella, and a water-proof backpack to combat the rain.

Conclusion:

It was really interesting to hear what piqued each person’s interest to this issue. This segment, as I assumed, is very active and participate in a lot of activities that require walking or being in frequent contact with the elements. They are all so different, and it really has got me thinking of alternative markets to target that don’t focus just on the ordinary walk from the dorm to class. These interviews showed me that I can probably delve into even more specifically into groups within the young adult population, such as those aspiring or in a job. But what got me thinking was that what might be a better tactic to selling water-repellence is to partner up with a shoe store and provide the service of water repelling the customer’s shoes for a small fee that could serve as a bundle deal when purchasing non-water repellent shoes. These interviews started to get me thinking about new markets and segment. Maybe this is more of a Business to Customer business model and more of a Business to Business model.