Assignment 12A: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1) Segment: Coastal kayakers/stand up paddle boarders 

2)Find 3 interviewees:
   Since I went home last weekend, I was able to take the kayaks out on the water for some fishing and decided that I would conduct my interviews with people that I didn't know rather than some of my friends/family members. Two of the people I interviewed had fishing kayaks and the third had a stand up paddle board. We spoke as we were on the water waiting for a bite so I was able to talk to them at length about their preferences for the product as well as how they would go about buying such a product. 

3)Need awareness:
   I think the best place I could have conducted these interviews was at the marina/on the water because the need was so prevalent in that time. They had their kayaks stuffed with equipment and seemed to not even have enough room for themselves let alone all of their gear. It's harder to go fishing on a stand up paddle board so he didn't have nearly as much equipment as he said he'd like. 

4) Information Search:
   While one of these people said they haven't even thought to look on the web for a product to help expand his carrying capacity, the other two said that they looked for a product but came up with no solution. From what they said, I took from it that they mostly rely on their friends or other kayakers for new kayak innovations because the products typically aren't widely publicized because kayaking is such a niche market. One said that they only browse stores like Dick's Sporting Goods to find new products. 

5)Summarize interviews:
   I think all three of these interviews showed me how relevant the need actually is to some people. When I spoke to friends and family, they said its a good idea but that no one would really think to spend the money on a separate product but by listening to these people talk about how they need more space, I think it would be more widely used than I previously thought. 

6) Draw Conclusions:
   Overall, I think the need is there, especially since I was at the time and place that the need exists when I conducted these interviews. I do however think that it might be a little challenging to market the products because of the niche kayak market segment.

Comments

  1. brownnolanFebruary 17, 2019 at 5:50 PM

    Daniel,


    I love your idea of kayak and paddle boards. Back home in Delaware, SUP are a big thing and almost everyone has one that they take out in the ocean and enjoy mother nature. I think this would be a great business idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Emma ChasonFebruary 18, 2019 at 12:31 PM

    Hi! I think it’s really cool that you went out and interviewed some random people and that they were so receptive to your idea. I am curious to know how you would design your product to work with a variety of kayaks and paddle boards. Having one design that work for any configuration could be tricky but having multiple different designs would be very pricy, especially for a new company.

    ReplyDelete
  3. James SheaFebruary 18, 2019 at 10:38 PM

    Hi Daniel, thank you for sharing your post. Many people from my area kayak in the ocean, including my family. I can see even myself using your product when I’m home. I like how you explained that the interviews opened your eyes to people’s needs, I find that this also happens in some of my interviews. However, you might want to try interviewing a group of the general population and not just people involved in water sports. Great post!

    ReplyDelete

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