25A - What's Next?

Existing Market

             I believe that this venture can grow into different states, not just Florida. By perfecting the service and customer experience here first, expansion would be easier, along with the recruitment of team members for different locations. If this goes well, it can become a household name.

Interviewee 1: 45-year-old mother of 2 teenagers that have already left to college

This interviewee believed that expansion was a good idea. That way, she could even possibly link her own lockbox with that of her children, allowing for them to have access to each other’s packages and pickups. Coordinating the mailing of items between her and her children is very important to her. Therefore, she believes that there could be a social aspect to the product, letting users link their lockboxes into a system of social networks. She also believed that the package tracking system would be a good idea, considering many vendors use different services for that. Allowing us to figure that out for them would be good.

Interviewee 2: 50-year-old mother of 3 children (2 in middle school, one in high school)

             This interviewee also agreed with expansion, citing the same kind of reasoning that interviewee 1 did. With her oldest son almost in college, she wants him to receive some of the benefits my product offers, as well. This brought up the idea of family packages. Furthermore, she is always ordering items for her other two kids, and often finds herself worrying about their packages. Therefore, she thinks that developing the tracking system to be compatible with all types of orders should become a more central point instead of just an “added perk.”

Interviewee 3: 34-year-old mother of two toddlers

             This interviewee was concerned with the product’s main functions. Avid about making sure I kept the product’s features available, she was mainly preoccupied with her package security above all else. She is always ordering things for her two toddlers and would like to see more of an emphasis placed on the security system and how it works exactly. When asked about expansion, she agreed that it would be have to take place only after the customer experience is perfected in Central/South Florida. She suggested a more educational approach on the product’s advertisement.

 

             Due to these three interviews, several ideas were presented as possibilities. Firstly, from interviewee 1, the idea of lockbox coordination was discussed. Furthermore, the idea of these links becoming a sort of social network was brought up, as well. From interviewee 2, the idea of family packages for the product came up. Additionally, the package tracking system was given more importance and was seen as something more integral to the product for her. Interviewee 3 mainly affirmed the product’s current features, offering a comforting take on how its design and promotion is coming along. She also urged for more information to be provided to users about the product’s security system.

             Based on the information given in the interviews, there are a few things that would need to be done for the future. Firstly, the idea of a “social network” of lockboxes will be developed. That way, families that are apart can coordinate their deliveries and save each other’s lockbox information for the future. Secondly, family package prices would be developed as well, so that parents can send their children off to college with package security at a discounted price in conjunction with their lockbox purchase. Despite already being a “perk” to the product, the package tracking system that comes with it (including its platform that condenses all package tracking services into one simple-to-use interface) will be made a more integral part of the product, with more significant advertising and promotion for it. Lastly, the security system’s specifications will be developed further and more specific information about its functionality will be provided to users.

New Market

A radically different market that I could target is that of college students. This is convenient because I already have close relationships with people in this market, along with being a part of it myself.

Interviewee 1: Rising sophomore at UF

             After hearing an explanation of how my product works and about what it offers, this interviewee saw its appeal. However, he believed that in order to successfully market it to college students, the product must be offered in partnership with either dorms or off-campus apartments (unless students lived in a house). That way, the hassle of getting the product to work with a student’s living arrangements. This also brought up the idea of offering it as a service instead of individual purchases for those that live in upper floors of apartment buildings.

Interviewee 2: Rising senior at UF

             After the initial presentation of my product, this interviewee had ideas similar to interviewee 1. However, upon further discussion, she came up with the idea to give it compatibility with food-delivery. Very often, including myself, college students order food while they are studying or hanging out with their friends late at night. This way, finding where the person that is delivering your food is and the new concept of “touchless delivery” can be addressed here. We spoke about communal lockboxes in regards to this.

 

             From this new market, I learned that many new ideas came more easily from people closer to my age. I was able to have a more candid discussion with them, which resulted in more quality ideas. I was correct in seeing how my product would fit with college students, because these interviewers went better than I expected. This market might even be more attractive than the one my product is primarily focused on. I plan on doing more research into how I can develop these ideas that I have received.