15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

ü  To reiterate, my segment consists of consumers who enjoy, or are required, to travel a lot, are middle-aged, and enjoy traveling in class. For my interviews, I picked 5 consumers, Ioane, Maria, Megan, George, and Brad that fit said segment and that seem to have a need.

ü  Interviews:

Female Interviewee, middle aged, single: Ioane has traveled all over the world due to her job requirements and has been to several small and large airports. When she is at a large airport, she usually checks in her suitcase and walks to her terminal with her carry-on. She usually stops at some point to eat before reaching her designated terminal. Sometimes there is a train that takes her closer to her terminal, but sometimes she has to walk literal miles before reaching her destination. What matters most to her is convenience. After long connected flights, she is usually exhausted and just wants to reach her destination so she can get on her next flight and rest. She does not shop a lot for carry-ons and suitcases but when she does, it is usually online. Sometimes she goes in a travel store and looks around, especially ones at airports. She always uses her credit card. She usually does not care that much about particular brands but she does care about the product’s appearance and function. She usually shops from stores where her experiences with said store’s products, have met her expectations. When the product functions properly and lasts a long time, she is usually happy with her purchase but when they are dysfunctional or they brake after a few weeks of usage she immediately thinks of the purchase as a bad idea.

Female Interviewee, middle aged, divorced, single-mom: Maria travels mostly for leisure but she loves it so much, that she does it quite frequently. She is a single mom and loves to travel with her daughter. She has a steady job that allows her to travel all over the world. When she is faced with traveling luggage purchase decisions, she usually goes for the product’s convenience. She tries out the weight, the “look,” the material, and the functionality of the luggage. She has the need of large airports because her daughter gets tired very easily and there aren’t a lot of alternatives to getting to her terminal. Connected flights are a nightmare. She usually shops in store so she can try out the product. She usually uses a debit card. She is happy with a business decision when the product lasts a long time and does not break down easily, while is discontent with a purchase when the product break down easily or it inhibits her from getting to her destination.

Female Interviewee, middle aged, single:  Megan travels due to her job. She used to love traveling but she is getting very tired of it. The long flights and vast airports, such the new Istanbul airport give her mixed feelings about traveling. However, she does love traveling in class. She enjoys buying Loui Vuitton bags and Gucci suitcases. The product must have a certain appeal to her, and brand is very important. She mentions that she must look “good” carrying the luggage. When she is at main airports with a plethora of terminals, she often finds herself exhausted and exacerbated due to the inconvenience of getting from one terminal to the next. She finds this need especially on connected flights and often alternatives do not exist. She usually shops online with her credit card and when she looks back on purchase decisions, she is usually happy if the baggage is appealing rather than functional. Price is not a factor is her decision-making process and she shops quite often.

Middle aged male, married, has a young child: George travels a lot for leisure, usually with his family. He does not have many alternatives when he is at a vast airport, especially when it comes to convenience. The most important factor when it comes to luggage is functionality, but he also cares about price and look. He appreciates an appealing product and he usually goes to stores in person when it comes to suitcases and carry-ons. He pays with a debit card, usually. When he looks back on purchases, he bases his opinion on the purchase (good/bad) based on the functionality of the product, in relation to the price he played.

Middle aged male, single: Brad loves to travel but he is also required to do so a lot by his boss. He is a sales representative for a big company and must go all over the world to negotiate deals for his company. Even though he enjoys traveling a lot but often gets tired of it, especially when it comes to connected flights. He often takes airport trains as an alternative, when they are offered, but never takes club carts because he thinks they are designated for the elderly. He usually purchases travel luggage online but also goes in person to test out the product. He often looks around at stores in airports and then purchases the product he likes online, for a better price and convenience of the delivery. He always pays with his debit card. He looks bad on his purchase based on the price he payed and how long the product lasts.

ü  Report Findings

For the most part, most consumers were interested in convenience and functionality while some were interested in looks and appeal of the product. Most interviewees shopped online but some went to stores to checkout the product in person, as luggage is a long-term investment. Everyone payed mostly with debit or credit cards. The majority of the consumers I interviewed looked back on the purchase based on the price and payed and how long the product lasted them and remained functional.

ü  Draw Conclusions

I believe that these interviews confirmed the need even more. However, I think I might have placed a little too much value on the “class” of the product as most of the consumers, even the ones that were single, placed a lot more value on functionality and convenience. There was, however, one that placed her full attention on the look of the product, so it might still be a purchase factor to think about.