For this exercise I picked interviewees from the segment: college students. I interviewed Kaley, Evangeline, and Justin in order to collect my information and draw conclusions. Kaley said that when she goes to buy anything unfamiliar, she looks up ratings, most of the time these ratings are judging the overall quality of the product. For her, quality is important because something that will not work properly or will not last long is a bad investment. Kaley enjoys shopping online because she can easily look at the reviews listed for the products which include critique along with images. Because she bases her initial impression off of reviews, she compares her initial impression to her post-purchase impression and then posts a suitable review detailing whether she is satisfied or not. Evangeline expressed that she oftentimes does price comparison when products are of the same or similar quality. Quality is important to her, however if she can make a cheaper alternative work then she will. Evangeline never shops online because she liked to be able to evaluate a tangible object so that she knows exactly what she is buying. Evangeline said that she bases her level on satisfaction on what she expected to get out of the product versus what she got. Justin emphasized quality as the most important aspect of a product, he said that quality should be of top priority to those producing and those buying a product. Because he feels financially stable, he values a quality difference in products much more than he values a price difference. Justin prefers shopping in person because sometimes the items he orders off the internet do not arrive the same as they were advertised; however, he buys regular items that he is used to purchasing through amazon because it is convenient and cheap. Justin says that he is often dissatisfied with a purchase when it doesn't function exactly as it should, because he focusses on quality rather than price: he is disappointed when the product is not of high quality.
In terms of evaluating alternatives, it appears that this segment is mainly focussed on quality. Although Evangeline did introduce price as a consideration, she said that quality is what she prioritizes with price as a secondary factor. There was variety in this segment on how they preferred to make purchases, there was a mix on preference in regards to shopping online versus shopping in a physical store. It appears that online shopping offers convenience whereas in store purchasing ensures quality. In this segment, post purchase evaluation was largely focussed on whether the product lived up to the standards that were preset to the buyer. When the product is less than expectations, there is dissatisfaction, whereas if the product lives up to expectations, there is satisfaction.
Personally, I look at quality too because I feel like I can justify the price to myself if the product meets and exceeds my needs. However, this scale is fluid and sometimes I rather not spend a lot of money because I know that I will only use it once or twice and it's not exactly the most important thing to me. For example, when shopping for backpacks, I try to look for one that is durable and an investment, rather than something that might break after a couple months and will put back on the hunt for a replacement. Also when considering something like a backpack, I also have to consider that it needs to be reliable because I carry my laptop with me and any damages to that will put me at a bigger loss financially.
ReplyDeleteHow I shop it a lot like Kaley. I prefer to make long term investments, so quality is very important to me. I always check for reviews online on a product and also ask friends who may be familiar with the product as well. As a college students, I too shop online because of the reviews that are available and the convenience. It is a lot easier to pick up a package right from my apartments office than having to go across town for a product.
ReplyDeleteI think these responses are interesting and not necessarily surprising. Quality is something that I also value to be the most important thing in a product that I am already looking to spend money on. I think that the online shopping discrepancy is somewhat surprising from a younger segment as many younger people like to shop online. However it makes sense that you could judge quality better while going to a store in-person rather than online.
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