15A Buyer Behavior

15A Figuring out Buyer Behavior 

Previously, I asked a sample of potential customers in my targeted segment about which alternatives they pick from when deciding, broadly speaking, what they will eat for each individual meal. I now asked a new set of potential customers in this segment about HOW they decided between these alternatives when making their decision. All three of these individuals made it clear to me that this segment tends to have a few clear factors in mind when making their decisions: how much time they have for food preparation, how skillful they are in the kitchen, how much they can afford to spend on the meal, and how busy they are in other facets of their life. Ultimately, the common denominator in this segment that I noticed in my interviews is that these individuals tend to have other priorities that strip them from the time necessary to prepare proper meals, either due to university level coursework, full or part-time employment, a busy social life, or other outside commitments. The majority of the interviewees noted that they and their peers are typically most busy as a result of their university related responsibilities. While this segment tends to be very busy, they are also quite frugal, so they tend to stick to affordable quick pre-made meals that are purchased in larger grocery chains or to cheap and easy delivery food, often from mobile apps. They do generally have an affinity with buying things online at their convenience, however when it comes to food, they will often more than likely buy it in person at a grocery store unless it is a delivery order. When evaluating a purchasing decision, they tend to value convenience and affordability above all else. They want cheap and quick and easy meals that require little to no effort on their part so they can return to their other activities. They dislike expensive meal options or options that require a lot of preparation or work on their part. Ultimately, this segment prefers to have things in a manner that is convenient and affordable to them, something which I must keep in mind when creating my service in order to cater to their unmet needs.