12A - Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1. Segment

• College-aged students who must do chores and clean up after their roommates, who refuse to do the work themselves

2. Interviews

• Cameron, 21, FSU Senior
• Emma, 21, FSU Junior
• Ryan, 19, UF Sophomore

3. Need Awareness

• Although the people I interviewed all fit within my segment, they had some differing causes of need awareness. I learned from Cameron that his need for his roommates to help him with chores mostly only occurs on the weekends, when his roommates and their friends make a mess and leave it sitting there until Sunday. He sometimes cleans up after them, and he emphasized how much of a hassle this was. Emma fits within my segment, because she has one particular roommate who never cleans up after herself. Emma noted that she has told her to help with chores a number of times before, but the girl simply refuses to make an effort. Ryan considers himself a cleanly person, so when his roommates make a mess or refuse to help with household chores, he just does it himself. He stated he wishes they would clean up after themselves, but has since stopped asking for help since he realizes he is much more cleanly than most people.

4. Information Search

• All of my interviewees had told me that the first thing they do when this need occurs is ask their roommates (particularly the ones who caused the mess) to help clean up or stay on top of their household chores, such as taking out the trash. This answer varies further when looking in-depth into my interviews, because the roommates who are asked to help don't always contribute, even though some said they would. Frankly, them asking their roommates is the only reliable source for satisfying this need, other than a maid. Although none of them had previously used Google to satisfy this need, the key search terms I picked out from their hypothetical answers were "how to keep a clean house," "how to make sure roommates do chores," and "maids near me." They do talk to their families about their need, because the cleanliness of their homes concerns their loved ones, especially parents who are often paying the rent.

5. Research Findings

• From my interviews, I learned that there are varying causes for the need to maintain a clean house. This means that there are multiple reasons why people fit into my segment, so there are distinguishable psychographics of my target market. I also learned that not all college students with roommates have this need, because I had to call more than 3 people to get people who fit into my segment.

6. Conclusions

• My segment comprises college students who have roommates who either often or only sometimes leave a mess for someone else to clean up. The need is particularly present on weekends, when roommates have friends over who collectively make a mess. It is also very present in households in which one or two of the roommates are either too selfish or too lazy to do chores. The people who feel the need will likely ask the roommate(s) for help, but they are not always willing.