12A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1.     Pick a segment: The segment I chose to analyze is students at UF.

2.     Interviews: I interviewed three students at UF, all with very different schedules and lifestyles. One person is a very good student who spends a lot of time in the library. Another person was an okay student that goes out one night a week, but has a very important job during the day. The final person I interviewed is not a good student and goes out practically every night of the week. He is up very late at night and sleeps in all morning.

3.     Need awareness: The first person said her need is most prevalent at night because she stays at the library late and is really tired when she gets back. She does not have the energy to go through a whole routine when she gets home and just wants to go to sleep. The second person I interviewed said his need is most prevalent in the middle of the day. He has a job where he is constantly talking to new customers and clients. He said it would be very helpful to him, if after his lunch break, he had a quick-easy way to clean his teeth and improve his breath. He also said he obviously does not bring a toothbrush or toothpaste to work so it would be the only way to accomplish that goal. The final person I interviewed said he has a need for this item in the mornings. He often wakes up hungover and groggy from the night before. He thinks it would help him get to his morning classes faster as well as hide the fact that he didn’t necessarily clean up the night before.

4.     Information Search: The people I interviewed all had the same answer to this question. Whenever each of them has a need, they either call a parent, sibling, friend, or look it up online. This means getting on the first page of google could be very helpful because people seem to trust whatever shows up on that first page. Also, advertising on family-friendly restaurants in Gainesville could help parents see it as a viable solution for their kids. Finally, advertising in Midtown will get local students talking to their friends about the product.

5.     Findings: Although I essentially summarized my findings in the previous sections, I will do it again. Through my interviews, I determined that all three were relatively aware of the need, but did not think it was worth looking past a toothbrush and toothpaste for a solution. Then again, many people do not know they need something until they are told they need it. Also, I determined that the product was versatile in terms of what time during the day people need it. Targeting family locations, online searches, and midtown would be a good place to begin advertising.

6.     Conclusion: I think this segment has mediocre need awareness because they still kind of need to be told that they have the need. In terms of information search, they attempt to solve their issues by using a multitude of channels. However, the common denominator was definitely family, friends, and google. I think there is high potential for success in this market.