Assignment 15A: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

For this post, students have been asked to follow up on last week’s assignment, “figuring out buyer behavior.” More specifically, we’ll be looking at the back half of the buying process: how customers evaluate alternatives, how they purchase a product/service, and how they evaluate the purchase afterward. Like last week, I’ll be conducting three interviews from my chosen customer segment, college students. Let’s jump into it!

              Interview #1: Randy: Randy is a third-year Biology major who drinks coffee only on occasion, but he could see himself as an everyday drinker later in adulthood. He has a Keurig machine at home, so he usually uses that for making a cup. He buys his K-cups from Sam’s club, because he gets a cheaper unit price when buying in bulk. His preferences show that he leans towards convenience by using the Keurig and is price conscience because he buys in bulk.

              Interview #2: Logan: Logan is a second-year accounting major, who drinks a cup of coffee from Starbucks almost every day. Having a cup of coffee has become just as much a part of her day as going to class she says. She likes to switch up her order, but usually sticks with a size medium and not too many extras. She says she does not really think much about buying herself Starbucks every day. As an accounting major, she was able to recognize that there are cheaper alternatives out there but maintained that sometimes you just can’t put a price on convenience.

              Interview #3: Javis: Javis is a graduating senior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. (Congrats, Javis) He is an avid coffee drinker, and will switch it up between his French press, Starbucks, and a few of the local shops. Javis explained to me that his buying decisions change depending on how he is consuming his coffee. With his French press, he is more likely to pick up a random bag of coffee at wholefoods or trader joes, whereas when he is at a shop he is more likely to stick with what he knows. For him, coffee is about having experiences with friends and getting some variety out of life. I would compare Javis’ buying behaviors to more of a connoisseur or collector than most coffee drinkers.

              Conclusions: College students are so diverse that I think I should have narrowed my segment a bit for a look at some more telling findings. I did notice some common factors, however. College students are very busy, and aside from a few outliers, convenience is a huge factor in how they consume their coffee. College students are also not quite as frugal as one may think for having the reputation of being “broke,” all the time. Students, like everyone else, are willing to pay a bit more where they see value. I had a lot of fun with this week’s assignment and learned a good bit as well. Happy Spring Break!