12A Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1
For these interviews I have chosen to target the segment of men that have to travel overnight for work at least three times each week.
Interviews Summary
For each interview I reached out to two people that I know that work for international companies, and one that works domestically. All of the interviewees travel often for their job, and frequently stay in hotel rooms. The first international businessman told me that he usually shaves on the plane, which I learned has an entire set of problems of its own. Aside from that he told me that, when shaving at hotels, there is little ventilation in the bathroom. All three interviewees claimed that hotel bathrooms accumulate condensation more easily than other bathrooms. Subsequently, all three interviewees claimed that the Defoginator 1000 would be helpful in hotel bathrooms.
Regarding the subject of convenience, I asked each interviewee if they would carry the Defoginator with them while traveling. Two told me that they currently carry small mirrors, and if the Defoginator was small enough they would as well. The third interviewee said that shaving is not a big enough problem for him to carry around a mirror for it.
Based on all three interviewees I found that the bathroom condensation problem occurs in even highly rated hotels and accommodations, which indicates that the heated mirrors have been deemed too expensive to install in even the highest priced hotel rooms. This means that the hotel market may be a valuable segment for the Defoginator 1000.
Finally, after asking each interviewee what they currently do to fix the condensation problem, they told me that most of the time they do not have time to worry about shaving if the mirror is not clear. Additionally, it was stated that wiping off the mirror with a towel does not permanently solve the problem. I determined that these men may often arrive to business meetings looking like they just rolled out of bed and reflecting poorly on their companies.
Conclusions
Upon finishing the interviews, I looked at the results to determine how to shift my focus to more effectively solve the problem. Specifically regarding the segment chosen for the interviews, I determined that there is a massive market for the Defoginator in traveling businessman and hotel groups. This has prompted me to develop my research further into the businesses and industries that would benefit from the Defoginator outside of the specific users.
The condensation clearing could help people on the go who can use it for its practical purposes. I can see hotels grabbing this because of the way their consumers expect to be catered to throughout their whole stay. I am impressed with the way you took your initial bug list and applied it to the rest of the semester. These practices are practical in the sense that other people can relate to them and this is why I think your product will be successful.
ReplyDeleteInteresting segment selection! I never imagined traveling and shaving ones face could be such a hassle. You are very organized with your thoughts on this product. I can see this being quiet successful is marketed properly to the right demographic.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting segment to use for your research, and you definitely seemed to have learned a lot from the men that travel because they could use the machine. I think that you should have included some woman because they probably use the mirror after a shower more likely than men so they would have some good advice for future reference, overall good post though.
ReplyDeleteHi Joseph,
ReplyDeleteIt seemed like you learned a lot from the people you talked to as well as confirming that there is a actual need for the product. I too feel like it is hard to shave when at hotels, so I would definitely love for a product like that to be available to me. It seemed like you asked the right questions and ultimately got some productive feedback that you can use to further your business idea.