1. After creating my "Bug List", I realized that I wanted to get dessert near campus. Particularly, I wanted ice cream or a milkshake or basically anything dairy-related that was not going to break the bank. I have gone to a few ice cream shops off campus and I paid high dollar there. Last night, my roommate and I decided we would walk to McDonalds which was easily over a half mile away. Now, if I am eating dessert and gaining all of those carbs and sugars, I should be glad to walk a little bit. However, I am not okay with that because it just is not convenient. In that moment, I realized that this is a major problem on campus that needs to be solved. Quite frankly, I am bugged that I cannot cure my craving for ice cream on this campus.
2. First, the unmet need is ice cream and other dessert related options that are cheap, convenient, and accessible. I am no expert on Gainesville, but there was a Mochi Frozen Yogurt shop on University that has closed down. I will talk about the Baskin Robbins later, but that has issues too. Sweetberries is on 13th, but it is too expensive, in my opinion. Other than that, there is not much that is close or affordable. Based on all of that, I think that this concern has existed for quite a while, but three is not reason for it. I will confirm this need through my interviews, but I am sure that many UF students would agree with me that there just is not a good place for ice cream and other desserts on campus. Their unmet need has to do with the following several points.
- Parking on campus is so hard to find, that everything you do on campus or near it needs to be within walking distance. Even with the bus system, after reading other people's bug lists, they are hard to navigate and from personal experiences never on time.
- My second point is that we live in Florida. In the summer, the heat index can get well over 100 degrees. With this being said, we need to stay hydrated and aware of the heat. There is nothing better than an ice-cold beverage, smoothie, or ice cream to help in this heat.
- The third unmet need of the students is the price point. I am not going to spend $5-10 to get my fix. I am a poor college student who cannot afford these types of prices. I need the $1 soft-serve or even the $3 waffle cone.
- Many people may be thinking that there is a Baskin Robbins on University Ave., and you would be right, but they too are not convenient. If you show up at that Baskin Robbins at 8:30pm, they have already closed down their ice cream section. Now we don't live in the retirement community, they have no reason to be closed at 8:30. Even my small hometown has a 24 hour Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins that you can easily get to.
Interview #1: UF student
3. I figured that if my target audience was composed of college students, more specifically those who do not have access to ice cream while on campus, I would start with an interview of them. I wanted to speak to them to see if they were experiencing the same problem that I had.4. The first student that I spoke to was a second-year student who had told me that they had not yet found a good ice cream place that they enjoyed. They iterated the same issues that I had and said that they had found themselves paying large amounts and walking far distances to get what they wanted. To avoid the high prices of some of these places, they typically go to McDonalds which is over 1/2 mile from their dorm. For them this isn't a daily need, but it does affect their frequency of wanting this need because they know the cost to get it.
Interview #2: Ice Cream Shop Customer
3. To further understand my target, I decided let's speak to someone that is actually in the act of purchasing ice cream. This ice cream shop was about a 10 minute drive from campus, and I spoke to UF students there to see if their needs were being met.
4. They first explained to me that they carpooled to the ice cream shop because it was so hard for some of their friends to get there without losing their parking spot. They explained to me that they liked this ice cream shop and thought that their soft serve was really good. However, one of the main points they made to me was that this was not their first choice. The first choice had actually closed down previously. Their second choice was a small popsicle place closer to campus, but their popsicles were over $5 a piece. They all agreed that you could go to the grocery store if you wanted just a popsicle and it would be much less. They were open to trying other ice cream places which leads me to believe they still have the need, and are trying to find a great place to solve it.
Interview #3: Game Day
3. This was a student who was attending a home game at UF. It was good to talk to them because of how many people are on campus during this time. There are additional places to eat during these time. It is still summer in Florida, so it is hot. It was not as much for this game, but when we have a home game, it could be much worse.
4. After the home game against UT Martin, they found themselves walking all the way to McDonalds from the stadium at 1:00 am to find it packed. They did not even get the ice cream they wanted and settled for donuts at the Krispy Kreme. Not to mention even if they had wanted ice cream before the home game, they had no way of getting it because there was not a single truck that was serving ice cream. Because this need was not served before the game, they wanted it solved afterwards and still couldn't get it. They were fuming when this happened and even considered paying premium prices from Uber to get somewhere.
5. From all three people, I learned that many of my concerns were valid. Other people were experiencing the issue and just dealing with it. Many were not too upset which makes me skeptical about whether or not they are truly wanting it. I know it is a need, but how much so is what I need to figure out. They are all traveling pretty far distances relatively speaking to fulfill their want. Many had to change their plans several times because they could not get what they wanted, where they wanted it. Price was also a big consideration because they are all college students and they don't have $5 to spend on a popsicle. It was interesting to see they were experiencing the same things.
7. My issue has opened it self up quite a bit since I started writing about it. Like I said previously, I really need to consider how much the need is there. If these individuals were willing to travel so much, how much will they benefit from the convenience aspect. I know that cost is a major concern for them, so I also want to consider how my profit margins will be effected by having to keep my rates low. As was said in class, I also need to think about the lack of scenario. We see that the Mochi on University Ave. closed down. Was it because the rent was too high in that place or that they did not get enough customers, were their prices wrong, or was it a greater corporate problem (I've seen other popular Mochi places close down). I have a lot think about at this point. I don't think my interviews hurt my original idea but it gave me more things to think about and consider. This is great because it will create more success in the long run. I would like to hear more comments about whether or not my peers think this is a need on campus.
4. After the home game against UT Martin, they found themselves walking all the way to McDonalds from the stadium at 1:00 am to find it packed. They did not even get the ice cream they wanted and settled for donuts at the Krispy Kreme. Not to mention even if they had wanted ice cream before the home game, they had no way of getting it because there was not a single truck that was serving ice cream. Because this need was not served before the game, they wanted it solved afterwards and still couldn't get it. They were fuming when this happened and even considered paying premium prices from Uber to get somewhere.
5. From all three people, I learned that many of my concerns were valid. Other people were experiencing the issue and just dealing with it. Many were not too upset which makes me skeptical about whether or not they are truly wanting it. I know it is a need, but how much so is what I need to figure out. They are all traveling pretty far distances relatively speaking to fulfill their want. Many had to change their plans several times because they could not get what they wanted, where they wanted it. Price was also a big consideration because they are all college students and they don't have $5 to spend on a popsicle. It was interesting to see they were experiencing the same things.
7. My issue has opened it self up quite a bit since I started writing about it. Like I said previously, I really need to consider how much the need is there. If these individuals were willing to travel so much, how much will they benefit from the convenience aspect. I know that cost is a major concern for them, so I also want to consider how my profit margins will be effected by having to keep my rates low. As was said in class, I also need to think about the lack of scenario. We see that the Mochi on University Ave. closed down. Was it because the rent was too high in that place or that they did not get enough customers, were their prices wrong, or was it a greater corporate problem (I've seen other popular Mochi places close down). I have a lot think about at this point. I don't think my interviews hurt my original idea but it gave me more things to think about and consider. This is great because it will create more success in the long run. I would like to hear more comments about whether or not my peers think this is a need on campus.
Hi Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteI also agree that we need a new ice cream shop. I personally don't even enjoy Sweetberries especially when you add in the cost. There is a lot of difficulties with trying to get around campus. But you also need to think about how big campus is. What is close to some people could be a forty minute walk for someone else. You have something going with making it cheap but make sure you can pay rent before you sell it to cheap. IF you sell to cheap you may end up closing due to not making enough. Target audience was a great choice in choosing people it would actually effect.
Hey Nicholas,
ReplyDeleteI found your opportunity to be quite interesting. I love ice cream but it never occurred to me how inaccessible it is around campus.The only close place that I don't think was mentioned was Chick-Fil-A, I'm a big fan of their milkshakes so it came to my mind immediately. Other than that, there isn't much else. Also, I recall there being an ice cream shop named Indigo on 13th Street across from Gainesville High School. They had delicious ice cream and presumed they had a good audience as they were across the street from high schoolers and next to students living in LUX13. The business has closed, and similar to Mochi on University, I'm curious if it was due to high rent, not enough customers, or incorrect pricing.