Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

 

The segment I have chosen is homeowners who are unsure whether to replace or repair broken home appliances and are interested in a more efficient solution.

 

I interviewed three people who fit in that category, and asked them the following questions:

 

When, how, and where did you become aware of this issue?

 

All three people stated a specific story of a time one of their appliances broke and they considered replacing it because they weren’t sure if fixing it would be worth it. Two were sitting at home when they realized, while one said they got a call while at work from their kid and found out it was broken.

 

When the person you are interviewing becomes aware of their need, what is the very first thing they do to find a solution to their problem?

What sources of information do they look for? When they search in Google, what are their search terms? Do they talk to friends and family?

 

One of the people I interviewed said that they called their brother to ask him for his opinion on the matter, in which he went to look at it and claimed it was better to replace it (brother had experience working as a mechanic but hadn’t done it in years). The other two said they looked on Google for repairman in their area and called them to come in to take a look at it. They all also proceeded to look for deals online to try and find out how much a replacement would go for. Two of the three mentioned that they looked at Home Depot or Costco for the new appliance. Some of the search terms they used were: “Cheap refrigerators”, “Handyman near me”, and “How often should I replace my dishwasher.”

 

Additionally, it appears that the whole process takes too long as the repairman usually comes the next day, takes a look at it, then schedules to fix it a couple days later. After adding it all up, it takes a minimum of three days or more depending on the severity of the damage. This allows the opportunity to skip the first two steps: looking for a person to come in & having to wait for the person to come in and look at the problem. With the app, a handyman can identify the problem and either help virtually or schedule one visit to come in and fix it.

 

In conclusion, it is safe to say that people can find themselves quite stuck when it comes to having a broken appliance. One of the people I interviewed stated they were at work and had to figure out a solution to their broken fridge before all the food spoiled and it was quite stressful. She said that if she had the app, her son could have taken care of everything without her help (son is in his teens). This shows how helpful an app could be to people who don’t have time to solve these pesky problems that can arise in the day or who just don’t have experience dealing with appliances in general. Using all the information I have collected; I can describe the segment as people who lack the knowledge of whether to fix or replace appliances as well as need a quick solution to their problems.