Figuring out buyer behavior no.2 (15)

Interview background:

For my three interviews, I wanted to dissect my target market a bit by interviewing students at different points in their college careers. Thus, I interviewed a first-year, third-year, and senior.

I initiated each interview by discussing the different frequencies of travel each interviewee participates in. Then, I presented them with three different alternative methods in which they think would be the best option for them to travel by in the future: flying, driving, or having accessible rail.

Up to this point, I actually had not considered the method of how to purchase travel through my idea of a railway transit system. I am glad that this segment on how and where customers make their purchases is a part of the assignment because it allowed me to discuss the different options with my interviewees.

Interviews:

My first interview was with a first-year. She travels somewhat infrequently as she does not have a car with her here in Gainesville. Any traveling that she participates in is usually at the mercy of her friends and roommates as she is from Pennsylvania, so when she travels alone it is to go home. Out of the three alternatives to travel that I discussed with her, she told me that a railway system that was more expansive than anything that currently exists really interests her. She went on to discuss that up north where she is from, she could take a train to many different places and often would take advantage of that to go to places like New York City and Boston. Our discussion about payment options was very interesting, in which she brought up what she needs currently when she travels home. She books her flights far in advance so that she can have established dates and times for longer trips, so this would be a more applicable option for her instead of paying the day of or as you board as some railway systems do.

My second interview was with a third-year. She travels frequently and uses her car for the majority of the trips she takes. I brought up the different alternatives with her and she talked about how from her current options she would rather drive rather than fly because whenever she has to go out of the state she usually makes road trips out of it. She mentioned that she drives a large car so she and her roommates can make trips more comfortable and she doesn’t mind it if they split the price of gas. In regards to how she purchases this travel, she likes the flexibility of it. Rather than having to worry about rigid schedules and the possibility of more dire consequences, using her car never really causes large hassles.

My last interview was with a fourth-year. This interviewee just recently came out of a time period in which he had to travel very often while searching for internships. He had been looking to find an internship in Chicago because he wants to move up north, so there were nearly 10 different occasions in which he had to fly up to Chicago for interviews. He would often have to book flights rather quickly, and he discussed that if he wanted to avoid spending a fortune he would have to book on cheaper airlines. But, this came with the unfortunate consequence of there being a lack of comfort or great service.

Conclusion:

In regards to the segment of college students, I believe that what they search for in regards to travel options varies depending on the situation; and there are many different kinds of situations that warrant the need or want to travel. However, in regards to how purchases are made, there are two primary situations. The first involves avoiding stress through having structure and accountability by being able to purchase in advance and ensure the travel method is available. The second involves more spontaneity, and having the ability to go somewhere simply as the situation arises. I don’t think that these two situations are mutually exclusive, and both can probably be integrated into the service I want to provide. Something that each interviewee was very similar about was the post-purchase evaluation. Ultimately, when it comes to travel, you want to feel like you have made a good investment. Although it is long term, you want to get what you pay for without having to pay a fortune.