As before, the segment of consumers I chose in my market is those who online shop for everything they need, but found three more people in this segment to interview. The first was my roommate, who buys everything from shampoo to certain groceries to decor online. The second was my mom, who buys literally everything she owns online. I conducted my final interview with my guy best friend from home, who goes to school up north.
In terms of evaluating alternatives, this market of natural products is sort of expensive to begin with, so consumers are aware that these may be more expensive than regular products in the first place, but marginal price differences matter. More than anything, they put an emphasis on quality--for example, if the product says that jojoba oil is a main ingredient as opposed to being the only ingredient (pure jojoba oil), this makes a difference because the former may not be as "natural" and "good" for them as they think. Packaging does not matter too much, because many people in this market also prefer simple packaging and nothing really over-the-top.
This segment is likely to buy these products online, just like everything else they own. This way, it is easy to evaluate the alternatives between websites and see consumer reviews before they buy. They use cash, as financing is not needed.
To these consumers, seeing results from the switch between products is most important in their post-purchase evaluation. Usually they are able to see or feel the difference and evaluate accordingly. Other than potential allergies to the natural ingredients or a high price, there really isn't a reason for them to believe this purchase was a bad idea because they have done their research on the ingredient, the specific product, and have trusted the reviews of other customers that they've seen online.
Basically, this segment does so much pre-purchase evaluation due to the availability of information on the internet that they are unlikely to do too much post-purchase evaluation because they would have just not bought the product if they found something they didn't like. That's why it is so important to make good online first-impressions with these consumers!
After reading your piece I thought about something I did over the weekend that was reminding me of how the internet does provide so much information that companies should be aware of before they price their goods. My cat needed her vet approved over the counter Frontline Plus for Cats. I had it on my list of items to get over the weekend, so I went by PetSmart. They had it, but you must buy a bundle pack with three at one time and that makes the price about $56.00. Not wanting to spend that much, I said I’ll just wait on that. So, when I got back home, I looked it up on Amazon, and sure enough, Amazon had it for much less! I still had to by three in a bundle, but it was $34.00 this time! So happy I didn’t purchase it for so much more. I’m thinking that mall PetSmart is in makes everything much more expensive. I think that is one reason why online shopping is so popular.
ReplyDeleteHey McKenna,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about quality in the evaluation of alternative options. If a product can guarantee its quality to a consumer one will be willing to pay more for that quality. I also like how you added the effect of pre-purchase behavior and how that effects your market. Many people will compare prices of products online and in person and most of the time they differ. By checking this one can obtain the deal that bets fits for them.