Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1
Segment: College Students
Interview #1: Roommate (Sophomore, Female)
My roommate told me that she most often feels the need for a safer ride home when she comes back from the bars downtown, since they are too far away from our apartment (near midtown) to walk home from. Since she is usually intoxicated and it is late at night when she is coming back from the bars, she worries that she will end up in a "sketchy" rideshare situation where a driver will try to take advantage of her and her friends. Nonetheless, her solution to the problem is always Uber or Lyft; there are no buses or SNAPs that head that way so late at night, so the apps are really the only solution. She first heard of Uber and Lyft from word of mouth, so no real Google searching was necessary.
Interview #2: Sister in Sorority (Junior, Female)
One of my sorority sisters feels the need when she needs to make use of rideshare vehicles in order to get to and from her babysitting gig. Since she is alone and it is often late at night when she is coming back from her job, she often worries about getting into a bad situation. She liked my idea, mentioning that she would feel much safer if she was guaranteed a female driver. Her solution to the problem is always Uber and Lyft, which she heard about through word of mouth, since they are the most popular and reliable (convenience wise).
Interview #3: Friend at UNC (Sophomore, Female)
My friend from high school who now goes to UNC told me that she often feels the need when she is coming back from bars, frats, and clubs intoxicated. She also noted that student housing is often far away from these areas, so the long ride is daunting, especially when she is alone in the car with only a male driver. Her solution, like the other interviewees, is always Uber and Lyft, which requires no Google searching due to the fact that it is so prominent.
Conclusions
This market segment definitely seems interested in my proposal. They all seem motivated by their fear of being put into a bad situation in a rideshare vehicle. Being guaranteed a female driver seems to be a very comforting idea to them, regardless of whether that is a rational conclusion considering the fact that females can be perpetrators of assault as well. They do not rely on online searches at all since the prominent rideshare apps dominate the market, and thus there is no point in searching for alternatives since they would definitely have to compromise on price and convenience.
Interview #1: Roommate (Sophomore, Female)
My roommate told me that she most often feels the need for a safer ride home when she comes back from the bars downtown, since they are too far away from our apartment (near midtown) to walk home from. Since she is usually intoxicated and it is late at night when she is coming back from the bars, she worries that she will end up in a "sketchy" rideshare situation where a driver will try to take advantage of her and her friends. Nonetheless, her solution to the problem is always Uber or Lyft; there are no buses or SNAPs that head that way so late at night, so the apps are really the only solution. She first heard of Uber and Lyft from word of mouth, so no real Google searching was necessary.
Interview #2: Sister in Sorority (Junior, Female)
One of my sorority sisters feels the need when she needs to make use of rideshare vehicles in order to get to and from her babysitting gig. Since she is alone and it is often late at night when she is coming back from her job, she often worries about getting into a bad situation. She liked my idea, mentioning that she would feel much safer if she was guaranteed a female driver. Her solution to the problem is always Uber and Lyft, which she heard about through word of mouth, since they are the most popular and reliable (convenience wise).
Interview #3: Friend at UNC (Sophomore, Female)
My friend from high school who now goes to UNC told me that she often feels the need when she is coming back from bars, frats, and clubs intoxicated. She also noted that student housing is often far away from these areas, so the long ride is daunting, especially when she is alone in the car with only a male driver. Her solution, like the other interviewees, is always Uber and Lyft, which requires no Google searching due to the fact that it is so prominent.
Conclusions
This market segment definitely seems interested in my proposal. They all seem motivated by their fear of being put into a bad situation in a rideshare vehicle. Being guaranteed a female driver seems to be a very comforting idea to them, regardless of whether that is a rational conclusion considering the fact that females can be perpetrators of assault as well. They do not rely on online searches at all since the prominent rideshare apps dominate the market, and thus there is no point in searching for alternatives since they would definitely have to compromise on price and convenience.
Hi Katherine,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like your interviews really expose the need awareness of your potential customers. Moreover, the fact that this service is not just local and can be applied nationally is significant. Your interview with your friend at UNC displays the fact that the need is not just a result of problems here at UF, but a national issue that is waiting to be addressed.
It is very scary to come home late at night alone in any rideshare car, regardless if the driver seems friendly or not. It is important for companies to soon implement some type of harsher safety regulations for their customers. I agree that female drivers only would make me feel more comfortable in late night experiences, although I don't think it is a complete fix to the issue because females are sometimes not very nice to other females. Keep up with the great research on the issue, I am following!
ReplyDeleteHey Katherine, I like your post because you were very thorough with it. You made a good decision in picking a business opportunity that has its main consumers being college age students. Because of this your interviews must have been very easy to conduct and very insightful and helpful. I think that, if you develop this business, it will have a large consumer base and could be very successful.
ReplyDelete