15A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior
1.) My three interviews were fellow business students that i gave a call. Three guys, two of them live on campus one off campus.
2.) Begin with alternative evaluation: The off campus student right away said he uses the bus to get to school and doesn't need parking. The bus isn't as convenient for him but it is free and you cant beat free. With a college students budget he said he wouldn't pay a lot of money to have his car being parked close to campus. One of the on campus students said he keeps his car in his hometown and would like to keep it here. He said he would pay for the semester to keep it close by campus for his convenience. The other off campus student said he parks his car on campus and doesn't see/use any other alternatives.
3.) In my interviews no one said they buy another service/product. The off campus student uses the bus but it is free. It would probably be my biggest competitor because you cant beat free. The on campus students as well dont use/buy another service.
4.) One of the students off campus that uses the bus did mention it is sometimes inconvenient and he is late sometimes. Most of the time he has it planned out and it effectively gets him to and from campus. The on campus student that would want his car there clearly resembles he doesn't like not having his car near campus. It wasn't necessarily a purchase but the fact of not having the service there is aggravating for him he said.
5.) My summary is there are alternatives out there. For some the alternatives are okay. They aren't great but acceptable. For others the alternatives are not okay and need a better service.
6.) My conclusion is Parkit will still be an effective service. People i interviewed kept saying its "acceptable" but my service would make it great. Although my biggest competitor is a free service, they still leave frustrations with the people that use them.
Howdy Thomas, first I wanted to say your blog has also been one I like to comment on because I love your outline style. Getting more into the meat of the post I think is very interesting that transportation for three people who are relatively similar is so different. I agree with the one student who spoke on how inconvenient buses are just because the app and the buses never seem to be on the same page. For example, one time the bus app said the 120 was two minutes away however it always already outside.
ReplyDeleteThis post gives me an opportunity to follow through alternatives you would come up with. I am interested to learn about an alternative that would beat 'free' service for a student. This is a great pursuit. Keep up the good work Thomas.
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