Thursday, June 18, 2020

15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2


Opportunity: app for finding parking on campus

Alternative Evaluation:
The three individuals I interviewed were college students at the University of Florida. From the previous behavior assignment, there were three alternatives to solve their problem: buy a parking decal, ride the bus, or the app. All three of the people interviewed valued ease of travel, which was the most natural thing they could do. Two out of the three also valued something trustworthy and dependable. One individual mentioned the bus app as an example; the Rider app sometimes is inaccurate when detailing the arrival time, and sometimes the app even indicates that there are no buses available even when there are. When looking for a parking solution, they didn't want to pay much money if they didn't have too. Two out of the three interviewed mentioned that they always go with the cheapest or free alternative first. All three expressly indicated that an app has to be is easy to use and navigate.  If they find it too complicated, they will delete it and look for another option.

How/where do they buy:
For both the apps and the decal, if they were willing to spend money, they would go online for the transaction. The sticker would go to the UF Transportation and Parking Services and use their or their parents' credit/debit card. As for the app, if they had to pay to use the app, they would also use a credit/debit card. All three mentioned, they would not focus on in-person transactions. 

Post-purchase behavior:
All three mentioned that they evaluate all alternatives based on the amount of stress caused and ease of traveling. If they were using one of the other options, and they were late, or they were pressed on time, they would likely look at another solution. They would ask the question: did this particular app solve the problems? As for the decal, they would see if they found parking more frequently and compare it with the price paid for the sticker.

Conclusion:
 I knew to go into these interviews that these individuals would be extremely priced sensitive. They would be unlikely to pay a lot of money to fix this solution. They care more about time management and being relatively stress-free. If a product gives that to them, they are likely to utilize it. The segment is looking for a quick, easy, and cheap alternative pretty much. 

4 comments:

  1. Hello Taylor, these interviews definitely confirmed your previous belief that the app must be affordable, effective, and easy to use. I think your best bet with an app like this would be to use ads, as well as in-app purchases that allow the user to turn off the ads. Overtime, you will be able to bring this to other school and the sky will be the limit.

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  2. Hey Taylor, you got really good information and data from these interviews. It was very important to realize that most people would want to do this transaction online, and would rather avoid in person transactions. Also, the post purchase behavior from your three interviewees shows that after they purchase the product, they just care if it leads to results. If it helps them in any way and alleviates any stress, they will find the product useful. They also care about simplicity, which should be very helpful in the later stages of app development and to bound your overall idea.

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  3. Taylor,
    If the customers look for parking first and then go to your app when it's difficult, they would have less brand loyalty then if they use the app every time before they get to the parking lot. There needs to be a benefit for the number of uses. Could customers help other customers out like Waze and ping areas where they see available parking?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Taylor,
    Like a lot of college students I am also looking for the most inexpensive and easily accessible option. I think you have Identified what students are looking for and what they aren't looking for. You have gathered a lot of information out of these interviews and i believe your idea fits everyone's agenda.

    ReplyDelete

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