15A Figuring out buyer behavior #2

Throughout the interview process I heard a lot of information that I have already heard in previous interviews. It seems that most people have the same general ideas regarding facing the parking situation at UF. The list of alternatives gathered in these interviews is as follows: walking, bicycling, skateboarding / electric skateboarding, taking the bus, Uber, and scooting. For my segment, which is college students at the University of Florida, there are many factors that go into choosing from these alternatives. Different students have different requirements and concerns for the products they choose. For example, products like scooters and electronic skateboards can be very expensive when considering that taking the bus is completely free. Students have to weigh the cons of taking the bus, being that it can be irregular and inefficient, when considering if an expensive product is a good investment. I bought a scooter my freshman year, and justified the purchase by considering that I would get four years of use out of it, save myself a lot of time, be able to travel on my own schedule, and then ultimately sell it when I graduate and make some of the money back. When mentioning if style mattered in the decision making, the people that I interviewed basically agreed that this factor did not drive their decision. They seemed to agree that every student on campus faces the same decision and will not cast judgement for the choice another student makes. However, they did suggest that when it comes to a student that is purchasing an expensive product either way, the style differences between the products was an influential factor. The most common place the transactions occur is in a store. Most people do not buy scooters online (although I know one friend who did), because there are two popular scooter dealerships in the area. When customers think back on their purchase decisions they consider the benefits they receive from the product versus the cost (money, time, etc) required. Based on these interviews I see that there are many alternative options for students traveling to campus. Each of these alternatives has pros and cons based on factors like efficiency for students and cost.