12-A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Segment of Market: Online shoppers, primarily between the ages of 18-54, with disposable income to spend on clothing, and who are not satisfied with the current online shopping experience.

Interviews:

v   Male, 25   v

This was the first male that I interviewed during this process. He fits in the segment identified above and is an avid online shopper. He expressed excitement at the idea of using virtual reality to shop online, explaining that he already wanted more useful needs for virtual reality technology. According to him, if he could ensure that all his purchases would fit and be of high quality, he would buy everything online. Virtual reality technology would aid this worry. He stated that he would be very interested in using Virtual Shopping for his future online shopping experiences. When asked about the circumstances in which he recognizes this need, he replied that it wasn’t until he made a bad purchase that he realized online shopping is not perfect. His turning point was when he order a windbreaker off a website from Instagram, and when it came it was so small he could hardly zip it up. The website had stated that they did not accept returns or exchanges, and it wasn’t until after he received the product that he researched all the terrible reviews other shoppers stated having with this website. He noted that if he were using Virtual Shopping, his avatar would have told him that the large size was indeed not large. In this particular example he explained that once he became aware of the issue personally, he searched on Google for reviews and information about buying online from that company. Now, he says, he is much more hesitant to buy from Instagram websites and online.

v   Female, 27   v

This interviewee stated that she became aware of this opportunity many times as she likes to shop online. She is very busy and feels that going to the mall can be a waste of time. An interesting note that she brought up was that she tends to “window shop” online, but as she is hesitant to commit to the purchase, she may go to the store physically to try on the item before. Although she still may wait to purchase the item online, despite trying it on in store. With Virtual Shopping, she could eliminate that trip to the mall and wouldn’t have to worry about fit. She further stated that as she has had so many negative experiences with size and fit from online purchases, she has stopped ordering from all but one online shopping platform. She expressed that she would like to broaden her shopping choices online, especially since she’s a veterinarian and is typically too busy to take leisurely trips to the mall. After my first male interview, I also asked this interviewee if she believed this service would be enticing to her fiancée as well, to which she replied a definite yes. She explained that her fiancée primarily shops online more than she does. When asked how she has tried to solve this issue previously, she replied that she would search Google for website credibility, read product reviews, and ask friends about their previous experiences.

v   Female, 53   v

For this interview, I decided to seek out a shopper at the higher end of my age segment. Despite her age demographic, she identified as an avid online shopper. She prefers it for the convenience, as well as a pastime. She explained that she could sit for hours on her computer or smart phone skimming through online retailers, however she couldn’t stand being in a mall for more than two hours. Reasons being that she did not like big crowds nor having to search through racks for something she may like. Online shopping is much cleaner and appealing to the eye. She explained that online shopping allows her to purchase clothes for everyone in her family, without ever leaving the house. Despite the positive feelings she had towards online shopping, she agreed that it’s not perfect. While she hasn’t had too many bad experiences, she did note that the straight-sized models make it sometimes hard to tell what size she should order. Having small physique with a large bust, it can be hard to determine if she is a small or medium online. This is where the avatar measurements would give a certainty and sureness before purchasing. When dealing with this issue, this interviewee would read reviews, look at the product measurements (if available) and compare them to her own measurements, as well as ask her daughter if she believed the item would fit.

Conclusions:

These three in depth interviews really help me understand the differences between what Virtual Shopping could do for this segment, compared to their current preventative means. With Virtual Shopping, shoppers wouldn’t have to hope they got the right size or read reviews on fit and quality, their avatar would take all the guess work out of it. I was glad to see that both genders, as well as various age groups, would be interested in a service like this. I feel that Virtual Shopping would open a lot more retail doors to consumers who have left their market (as in Interviewee 2) or have yet to be introduced to their market. With a virtual community of brands, shoppers could be referred to new brands with similar fit and size that their avatar measurements generate. This segment seems to be aware of the need, and would be satisfied with Virtual Shopping as their solution.