12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

The segment I chose in this market was people looking for smart home products for a working class lifestyle.  I interviewed three people who worked jobs in Gainesville- two of these people had families. These people seemed to have very similar needs out of their smart home systems.  I seems like the times they most felt they needed the products were in the mornings, and when they got home.  These were their busiest times, and when they felt like they might need a little extra help around the house.  One of them also said that right before they went to sleep it could be useful. He said that this was the time he thought about his plans for the next day, and that these products might help him get to sleep earlier, or better plan his day.  All of them seemed to see the products as only something they could need in their home.  One interviewee specifically called my attention to her shopping habits.  She said that this is probably what she would use the products for most.  It could help her remember what she needs, and it could also help her get those things. 

I asked them all about if they had done any research into smart home products. One said that they had heard a lot about them from family members.  They said that although it did convince them some that the products would be useful, they would have to do their own research before they were convinced.  The other two hadn’t heard a lot about the products from people they know, but said that they had done some research independently. They said that their first instinct was to go online.  They said that they looked for products that would be relevant to their lives, on websites they saw as trustworthy.  They seemed more interested in the most popular products, a looked less at the products they hadn’t heard about.  They said that overall, they trusted collective opinion more than individual sites. Surprisingly though, none of them seemed particularly interested in asking people in their lives about the products.  They said that many times the internet has better information than anyone in their lives. One interviewee signaled out television ads as something that showed them a need they might have.  I asked her about how reliable she thought these were, and she said that she usually thought they were pretty reliable.  

The working class segment of the smart home market has many of the same needs as the entire market.  The true difference is how busy this segment of the market is.  They find that their need is most drastic during their busy times of the day.  This is the reason they need the products, to help them with their busy schedules.  Their information search consists mostly of internet use.  It seems that they put a lot of trust in technology, which is good for this opportunity. It also gives me ideas of where to advertise and how to connect with this segment.