Figuring Out Buyer Behavior, Pt. 2

For this assignment, I still stuck within the niche of people with the same sort of style that I would hope to cater towards. All of these people recently threw away a t-shirt as well. First I interviewed one of my sorority sisters, then I talked with a friend of mine who is 23 and recently graduated college, and lastly I interviewed my 16 year old brother.

   Interview 1: For my first interview, I spoke with one of my sorority sisters who I consider to have a similar style that fits within the niche that I would be trying to reach when starting the company. I asked if she often purchased t-shirts and where she normally liked to get them from. She said that, for the most part, she likes to purchase retro tees at various thrift stores and the occasional flee market or garage sale. I asked her what she normally looks for in shirts and she replied that she was most concerned with the sale of the shirt and the price. She said that quality isn't something that she personally cares a lot about. She said that she is more likely to purchase t-shirts at thrift stores or from friends of hers than from online retailers, but she said that's mostly because there aren't any good online t-shirt retailers. I asked her about her favorite t-shirt purchases and what made it so great. She said that her absolutely favorite tee is actually one of the ones the most faded ones. She likes it because it reflects her style the most and is comfortable.

    Interview 2: The second person I spoke to was one of my friends who recently graduated and actually has a full time career. I asked her about her t-shirts and where/when she normally decides to purchase them. She says that quality isn't that important to her where t-shirts are concerned and that style is what she usually looks for first. She said also that she normally goes to thrift stores to get shirts and that she actually really enjoys it. Thrifting has been something she has been doing since high school and it's become a hobby more than anything else. She said that she might consider buying shirts online if they're cheap and fit her sense of style, but she wouldn't use an online retailer to completely replace thrifting as it is something she enjoys. Her favorite purchase was an old school Rolling Stones vintage tee that she bought at a garage sale in high school. She loves this piece because of its unique aesthetic. The "rightness" of it comes from the fact that it fits her unique style and that she was able to find it on her own. She said that the purchases that she hasn't liked are ones that she bought a long time ago that no longer fit her sense of style.

   Interview 3: Lastly, I spoke with my younger brother. He is 16 and likes band and concert tees. He buys most his shirts at concerts or gets them from various events he participates in. He said that his biggest concern would also be the style. If he gets a shirt that doesn't really fit his style, he won't wear it regardless of the quality. He likes cheap shirts as well, he said that the only issue he has with the shirts he buys as concerts is that they're always ridiculously overpriced. He said that he would rather get a band tee online at a cheaper price than at the actual venue. He says that he would just buy shirts from Amazon, but normally they aren't the most stylish ones and the shirts you could get from a band's website would be the same price as the ones at the event. When reflecting on past purchases, he said that the best ones were the times when he was able to bargain the price down or when he was able to get a shirt quickly without waiting in a super long line. His least favorite purchases were the ones where the wait was either super long or the shirts were extremely expensive.

Conclusion: I would say that the majority of this segment is more concerned with style and price than quality. Pretty much everyone said that they will sacrifice quality in order to have a trendy stylish tee. Cost is a concern as well, people are more likely to purchase from an online retailer if the prices of the tee are low. This segment likes buying there tees from physical in person stores for the most part as well. However, I feel like they would consider an online retailer, not necessarily as a replacement, but as as another alternative to the thrift stores or overpriced concert venues.