Interview #1 (Female, age 20) She said when buying straws for her apartment price matters the most, she doesn’t really see a difference in one-time use straws quality. As for style, she likes to choose ones with fun bright colors. She only buys in store with cash or her debit card, usually at Publix she said. She said she doesn’t really ever think back to the purchase because it is such a low-cost item. She knows it’s a good idea when she pours a beverage at home and wants a straw to drink it with.
Interview #2 (Male, age 19) He said that the price is the only factor he cares about when buying one-time use straws. The style or quality doesn’t make a difference to him. He only buys with debit card at where he grocery shops in-store, either Publix or Walmart. What matters most to him is that it’s a big enough pack that lasts him a long time, so he doesn’t have to repurchase often. He knows it’s a good purchase because he uses them often and are very useful to him.
Interview #3 (Female, age 21) She says the price and style matter to her, not really quality. She likes pretty colored straws that are cheap. She only buys this product in store (Publix) and buys with debit or credit card only. What matters most to her is that they come in big packs because she uses them often when mixing drinks at home. She is starting to think it is a bad purchase and says after she finishes the big pack she currently has she’ll probably switch to reusable straws after learning how bad the one-time use ones are for the environment.
Conclusions
I would describe this segment (college students who buy reusable straws) in terms of alternative evaluation as price being the biggest deciding factor. I think as long as the price is low, college students would buy my reusable straw alternative. As for purchase decision, I think college students would only buy my product if it was in grocery stores where they already do their food shopping. Finally, as for post-purchase evaluation, as long as I make my product in large quantity packs and they work the same as regular plastic straws, there will be no complaints.
Hi Madi! I agree that most college students biggest concern is price and that they most likely would only buy them if they were where they are doing the rest of their food shopping. I think it could be a good idea to make them somewhat stylish though because I could see there being others who would want a colorful straw especially if they are making drinks for guests or for a party.
ReplyDeleteHey Madi, so it is funny because I was recently watching Shark Tank and saw this exact idea on the show! However, it seemed that the entrepreneurs presenting it maybe would have done better if you were on their team! You have a lot of your buyers behavior down and can present you with an easier way to target them with having a good idea of who your potential customers are!
ReplyDeletePricing will be very elastic! Few cents up or down will have a huge impact in demand. Since straws is not something people need to survive or on their everyday life, buying a reusable one takes a lot of time and effort with cleaning and how much it will cost them. We'll be doing good for the world though! Great post!
ReplyDeleteHello Madi,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to hear about how each interview went a little differently. Price was obviously a big factor which makes sense for targeting price-conscious college students. I also found it interesting (and somewhat related) when two interviewees mentioned style. Although I do not necessarily look for products with a lot of style, I am always more happy if the product has an extra style element to appreciate.
Hi Madi, I think your conclusion of the interviews tied in really well. You were able to reflect on the issue of price, quality, and if they are reusable. I agree that I think your product would need to be in a grocery store such as publix or walmart to really get people to buy it, but even if you could get your product in to a walgreens or cvs I think consumers would purchase it. One thing you could do is market your product in a way that shows consumers it will be a step in to saving our environment and more people would purchase them.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the reusable straws cost less than the plastic straws that are already in the market, I don’t think this will pose a problem. It seemed to be that all of the college students that you interviewed cared more about price than anything else so its important to keep the cost down will providing alternative options.
ReplyDelete