Choosing a segment:
I chose to focus on the segment of young entrepreneurial minds. All of my interviews were with people who have their own business (local coffee shops) or have considered considered starting a business of their own. One (Mariah), studies business at UF so and plans to be an entrepreneur as she seeks financial freedom. Another (Kim), is a 23 year old from Orlando, FL that wants to open a food truck. The third, is a new coffee shop in Gainesville.
Interviews:
INTERVIEW INFO
What I learned:
These interviews confirmed that the demand to buy this product is high among individuals but not so much among businesses. All of the individuals I interviewed, struggle with finding available space. However, the businesses do not believe it is their responsibility to keep track of open workspace as that is not their primary function.. Additionally, they do not believe implementing this service will significantly increase their profits. The individuals I interviewed agreed that they would be willing to pay for the service. Businesses said that they would participate in the app for the convenience of their customers, but they would not be willing to pay for it.
When I asked what they think people should do to find a solution to their problem, they agree that calling the coffee shop they want to go to is inconvenient for both the individual and the coffee shop, but that it is their first idea. The individuals let me know that they experience this problem most often in the late afternoon/evening when most students are out of class and studying. They also state that the problem is even more prominent during popular exam times.
When I asked how they would search for a solution to the problem, I was told that this is not something they would google because they would not think a solution like this existed. I was told by another interviewee that he would check the website of a specific location to see if they listed their seating online.
How I would describe this segment:
I think that there are a lot of individuals who are interested in entrepreneurship as a path to financial freedom. This segment would buy products for individuals, because they relate to the issue at hand. However, this is not a service that many people would search for.
Hi Julianna,
ReplyDeleteI find it so interesting that businesses would not want to pay for this service for their customers. I thought that they would actually want to invest in this because it would encourage customers, such as in a coffee shop, to come and use their seating, and it would most likely encourage them to buy coffee or snacks. Businesses should consider the customer mindset, if a customer seems to always have difficulty finding seating in their facilities, they may not want to return. If the business has the program, it may entice customers to return more often.
Hey Julianna,
ReplyDeleteThe segment you chose was very unique. I can see why a business would not want to pay for this service; however I think they might pass up a great opportunity to attract more revenue for the both of you.
Julianna,
ReplyDeleteIt’s probably on the minds of everyone reading your post, “why the hell don’t they want your product?” I’d assume new businesses would be all over methods of attracting customers. It would barely be a hassle to just update the seating on an app. The app could easily be loaded up on an iPad or other tablet by the register and a worker can just tap a seat when it is taken or frees up. I’m not sure why that seems to be a problem. Maybe you just struck out with these three. Or maybe they know something that we don’t. That could be interesting to look into.