How they pick alternatives?
Customer 1: Asking others for recommendations; evaluating products based on demonstrations from the providers; quality is very important.
Customer 2: Asking others for recommendation, those that have successful practices; price is very important.
Customer 3: Asking others for recommendations, word of mouth; always looking for a good deal, which means a quality product for a good price.
How/where do they buy?
Customer 1: Almost everything online; purchases (large and small) are charged to credit card for rewards.
Customer 2: Mostly online; debit (cash); have not made large purchases.
Customer 3: Online and in stores because want to see before buy; furniture and computers paid for with savings (cash); all business purchases are charged to one card for easy tracking of business expenses.
What matters most evaluating it’s 'rightness' and if it was a good idea?
Customer 1: Can’t think of a bad purchase; did a lot of research before major purchases, so they have met expectations. Good purchases depend on the type of purchase: furniture is good if stylish, comfortable and durable, technology is good if reliable and lasts a long time; office supplies do not matter because so inexpensive and easy to change after the original purchased quantity is used;
Customer 2: Never really thought about it; just purchase what the office needs. Have not made any large purchases, so hard to evaluate; networking is a large expense (meals), but generate referrals, so are a good investment.
Customer 3: Marketing is the biggest expense of the firm and is evaluated on the ROI, which is tracked by designated employee; office supplies are not evaluated because staff orders and uses; long lasting purchases, such as computers, printers and furniture are a good purchase as long as they don’t break.
What sorts of things make them think a purchase was a bad idea?
Customer 1: When something breaks or doesn’t work the way that was expected. When is distracting and not adding to office efficiency.
Customer 2: When had difficulties with a bank due to bank’s lack of understanding of attorney trust accounts; it was a bad idea to work with that bank, so made a switch.
Customer 3: Investing in a referral coach that did not work out. This was an expensive mistake.
Conclusion: Business owner’s personal preferences, analytical styles and goals heavily influence how they evaluate purchases. Different business owners place different degrees of importance on the same purchases (office supplies). Some take a more thoughtful and analytical approach than others. Overall, as long as the product or service works “as advertised” customers are happy with it and tend to think they made a good purchase.
Hey Mario,
ReplyDeleteGood job on this assignment! As always, your work is always very detailed and well written. With your idea, I find it very interesting to read how potential buyers would evaluate such a product or similar products. If I was in a similar situation, I would definitely share the sane opinions your interviewees expressed (a product that increases efficiency, work well, and do not break very quickly). Keep up the good work!