Assignment 12A - Figuring Out Buying Behavior No. 1

Picking a segment

The segment I chose for this assignment is college kids that commute around the campus and the city of Gainesville by car and have trouble finding parking.

Interview 1

My first interview was with a student living off campus and who relies on their car to commute to campus everyday. She tells me that although she has a green leveled decal, parking is nonetheless a major inconvenience for her and has made her late to class countless times. I asked her what she thought the main reason for this parking struggle is and she told me that she believes that the issue is inevitable and stems from the 50,000 students that attend the university. She went on to tell me that she only gets the need when she's traveling anywhere near campus and around midtown area. This interviewee also told me that when she has the need as is in a rush or time crunch, the first thing she does is check the bus app or order an Uber.

Interview 2

The second interview I conducted was with a resident in my apartment complex who attends UF and commutes by car to and from campus every day. Rather than just having issues on campus, she states that the parking in her residential community is even worse and that she has to walk just under 10 minutes to get to her car everyday. Then, she tells me, she has to drive to campus, where it's even worse. Even after parking it takes her 10 minutes of walking to get to class. This resident most definitely has my need. She tells me that in order to cope with this issue, she wakes up 30-45 minutes before she should have to in order to accommodate for the parking. Sometimes, she says, she'll even take the bus as it's sometimes faster and saves her from having to walk to and from her car in between classes.

Interview 3

My third interview was with a second-year student living on campus whose main method of transportation is his car. He tells me about how much trouble it is to have a car and how much he wishes he had gotten a scooter instead. He works a part-time job off campus and he explained how annoying it was for him to run to and from his car everyday. He claims that his car is parked a good 10 minutes away from his dorm and how the parking is so limited there that he sometimes has to find parking elsewhere. Furthermore, he doesn't even consider driving his car to his classes since finding parking would make him late. This student most definitely has my need and he tells me that the first thing he does when he becomes aware of the need is look into SNAP transportation or the bus app to see if he's able to save time that way.

After conducting these interviews, it really showed how much of an issue parking is for people with cars, whether or not you live on campus. Each and every person I interviewed expressed a deep frustration when I brought up the issue and it serves as a reflection of how big this issue is for my segment of choice. The inadequate parking system in Gainesville has resulted in countless of students being late to class, people having to look for alternate methods of transportation, and overall has caused a general hassle to people commuting via car.  It further demonstrates the extent of the need and how valuable of an opportunity exists in the city regarding parking.