15-A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

For this round of interviews, I decided to focus on young men who use the internet to do the most of their purchasing. I did this because of my finding last week that the majority of men aged 18-34 wish they could buy everything online. Also, I have only interviewed one other man and thought this would be an interesting shift in perspective. Each interview was around 10 minutes long.

Begin with alternative evaluation. 

Does price matter the most?

Does quality?

Does style?

Is there more than one factor that is important to your customer segment?

When asked which of the three aspects above mattered the most, Interviewee 1 said that in terms of the virtual reality product Virtual Shopping the most important was price. He worried that such a product would be too costly of an alternative for him to use for online shopping. He also said in terms of the products he would be purchasing through virtual reality that quality would be the most important. When I asked him why, he said that was his biggest concern now with online shopping, whether or not the quality of the clothing purchased was what it looked like in the picture. 

Interviewee 2 said he uses online shopping as his window shopping. He admitted that he would go online to look at clothing, but never really commits to buying it. It's almost like a way to pass time, he said. When I asked him of the three aspects which would be the most important to him, his reply was definitely price. His reasoning was that as it stood he used online shopping to locate the items he likes, but then would go into the physical shops to get them. I asked if that was because he wished to try them on first, to which he replied, "Only a little, but mostly because I don't want to pay for the shipping costs when I can go to the store and pick it up". When I asked him if he would be interested in using Virtual Shopping, he said that it would be cool and that he would definitely try it. "If I bought it and didn't have to pay for shipping, it'd definitely be my go to thing."

Interviewee 3 was very similar to Interviewee 1, as he mentioned both price and quality. He said that he's taller than average and therefore has a hard time online shopping for clothes, though he does love it because of the convenience. He told me that he does a lot of impulse buying, but often times has to return the clothes because they don't fit. "Fit is not just a woman's problem, you know." I asked him if Virtual Shopping was made affordable with a monthly subscription app, where he would only pay $9.99 to use the services, he said he would be more inclined to use it. He told me he already has a VR headset, so implementing it wouldn't too hard. 

From these three interviews, it seems that price (in terms of Virtual Shopping) would be the most important factor and that quality (in terms of clothing) would be the second. 

How/Where do they buy?

Is your segment more likely to buy online or in store?

Are they more likely to use cash or will they finance the purchase?

Interviewees 1 and 3 seemed to be more likely to buy online than in store. I believe that with Virtual Shopping they would buy the majority of their clothing purchases online. Interviewee 2 currently buys more in store and would have to be persuaded with a perfect product to switch to online shopping. Although I see a lot of potential for him to make the commitment to online shopping. Perhaps with a Virtual Shopping subscription, all brands participating may be inclined to offer free standard shipping on all orders, with low rates for expedited shipping. 

Post-purchase evaluation

What matters most to your customers when they think back on the "rightness" of a purchase?

What helps them determine the purchase was a good idea?

What sorts of things make them think their purchase was a bad idea?

All three of my interviewees had very similar responses when it came to these questions. What mattered most to them was price, whether or not they thought they paid the "right" price for the product. When they felt they got a bargain, purchase satisfaction was higher than if they found out they'd been ripped off. Interviewee 1 and 3 said what makes the purchase a good idea is the need for it. If they agreed that the needed the item, or could justify the purchase, then the purchase was a good idea. Interviewee 2, as stated above, is an impulsive shopper. So for him almost every purchase was a good idea, at least at the time of purchase. As I noted, when the three interviewees felt they'd been cheated on price they felt their purchase was a bad idea. Alternatively if they're purchase was online and the quality was not what it seemed it would be from the picture, or that the fit was off, they also deemed this a bad idea. 

Draw conclusions

The three young men I interviewed valued price and quality when making online purchases. They felt the need for a solution to the current online shopping experience, however they were a little hesitant to feel Virtual Shopping was that solution. It seemed they were worried about what the price of such a solution would cost them. I feel for the next round of interviews I need to come up with a payment structure to include in my pitch, so that every interviewee has the full grasp of how Virtual Shopping would work. My thinking right now would be a one time cost for anyone who doesn't have a VR headset already, with a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 to use the Virtual Shopping services.