12A - Figuring Out Buying Behavior Pt. 1


The segment that I have chosen to target is particularly college students, who do not have transportation.

From the three whom I have interviewed, they all agreed that this need of grocery delivery was only necessary when they were away at college. I interviewed three individual college students, who go to the University of Florida, Wake Forest University, and the University of Connecticut. All three of these universities are located in college towns. Those who especially go to out of state schools do not have transportation. Many that still go to school in state do not have transportation. Two of the interviewees cannot get their groceries delivered from specific grocery stores, such as Whole Foods because it is not offered in their zone. The only solution they came up with was to pay for an uber to and from the store or to suffice living on cheap, processed food from their universities’ small markets. They tend to search on Google where the closest alternative grocery store is. They also look for possible individual delivery services. The one other had a problem with waiting too long for their delivery. Her solution was also to uber to the store or to eat out at a restaurant.

Based on these interviews, I have found that college students without transportation truly do struggle in getting possession of their groceries in a convenient time span or at all. I came to the conclusion that this is the reason why many college students do not eat properly or enough, unless they have a meal plan or easy access to “real” food.

Comments

  1. Haonan WangOctober 6, 2019 at 9:33 PM

    Nicolette,
    I also think this is the main issue for college students who do not have proper transportation. It is costly and time consuming for them to get to places that are far from where they resided. Although students can take public transportation to grocery stores, it is also hard for students to carry their weekly grocery on hands while waiting for the bus. All in all, I agree with you this is an unmet need for many college students.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CmvoorheesOctober 7, 2019 at 9:00 AM

    Nicolette,
    Great post. I like this opportunity a lot because when I think back to before I had my car here it was always a struggle to get enough groceries so that you didn't have to go to the store every other day. With all the ride-sharing, and food deliver apps in college towns you would think that someone would be able to deliver groceries. One suggestion I have is that there are other grocery delivery companies that just don't happen to be here yet so you will definitely need to have some competitive edge. Overall, good job.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Matthew ComeauOctober 7, 2019 at 10:03 AM

    Hi Nicolette,
    I enjoyed reading your post specifically because when I came to UF, I had no form of transportation for the first semester when I came to UF, so I understand the struggle. I also found eating to be very difficult when I came to UF; much like the people you interviewed, I do not have a way of getting back and forth from the grocery store. My only other resort was to eat out, which is extremely costly. Either way, grocery shopping / eating in college is a lose lose situation.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

30A - Final Reflection

Image
1.       Read through your posts from this semester. Recall all of the experiences you've had a long the way -- the highs, the lows -- the fun moments, and the moments of drudgery, and even the moments of dread. In this past semester, throughout this class, I have been exposed to many things that will prepare me for the future. I am grateful to have been exposed to elevator pitching, networking, and coming up with an entrepreneurial plan. I have also experienced lows; however, I have taken these failures and turned them into something to learn from. Celebrating failure has given me better insight in constant improvement. 2.       What sticks out to you as the most formative experience? The experience that you'll remember years later? What was your most joyous experience? What experience are you most proud of yourself for accomplishing? The most formative experience was coming up with the venture plan because I came up wi...
Read more

28A - Your Exit Strategy

1.      Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children? I would not sell my business in the next five years for a large return. I would rather try to allow the business to mature and grow in order for it to last for a long time. I do not think that business is 100% about profit, but also having a meaningful cause behind it. Ideally, when I retire, I would like to protect the business as something that would be a family business, passed down through generations. 2.      Why have you selected this particular exit strategy? I have selected this particular exit strategy because making a business a family matter allows the business to develop and maintain stability, commitment, accountability, ...
Read more

9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

The Opportunity: People who need groceries delivered lack a source of efficient services, for existing delivery companies do not deliver fast enough due to a high demand and inconvenient location. Grocery companies that deliver, such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Walmart and Publix, need to expand their delivering zones to make food delivery more convenient. As a result of these next five interviews that I conducted, I asked similar questions that I asked in part one. These questions included asking them if they get their groceries delivered and how often, what companies they use, what flaws they have noticed in the system, and why they think these flaws exist. However, these questions were asked to individuals who I assumed would have the same unmet need, but do not. Who: I found that those who have transportation and live in the suburbs fall outside the boundary of the opportunity that I have mentioned. Most who fall outside the boundary already have an ea...
Read more