Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Segment: Delivery / Catering Orders

Interview 1: Felipe’s Taqueria Restaurant Manager (33M)

                For him and his restaurant, when they carry out catering orders, quality and style matter the most. He needs a bag that displays the Felipe’s colors and logo while still retaining heat, keeping the food warm for all of the customers/individuals at the event. At a big event, the last thing that he needs is for the food to be cold and customers to be unhappy. He relies a lot on repeat customers, many of which are local Gainesville businesses as well as the University and many of its organizations. He really doesn’t care a whole lot about price- he just needs the right tool (bag) for the job.

                He purchases all of his bags via a B2B distributor that he has been working with for years. All of the purchases are via e-commerce, and they are done in cash (no financing). In order to make the purchases, he has to get authority from higher ups, but otherwise it is at his discretion.

                He determines how effective a product is/was based on customer feedback and experience. If he doesn’t get any complaints and the food stays warm and well at events, then he is happy with the product. If not, then he is unhappy. His metric for it is very plain and simple. He has had times were he has nearly lost customers over bad bags and them not living up to what he thought, and as such he is very cognizant of the role they play.

Interview 2: Piesanos General Manager (28F)

                For her and her restaurant, catering orders and delivery compromise a major portion of their sales. As such, it is one of their main focuses at the restaurant. She needs bags that can represent Piesanos outside of the restaurant via their logo, but also high-quality ones that will not break and will leave a positive, lasting impression on her customers and clients. As such, the quality and style of the bags are what matter most to her. While price is obviously still important, it is one of the things she considers the least so long as the price is reasonable. She needs a great product with a decent price. They make their money on food sales, not by skimping on their bags and accompanying utensils/ accessories.

                She purchases all of her bags in cash via an online ecommerce platform that does B2B transactions. She isn’t particularly happy with their customer service or the time to production, but she doesn’t want to take the hassle of switching just yet. She has to talk to higher ups about the purchase, but she has a majority of the say.

                She determines the quality of a product based upon customer feedback almost entirely. She believes that you can’t really get a good sense of how a product performs unless you get it out there and test it- there is a lot of trial and error, but the risks are high as she can’t lose customers over their bags breaking repeatedly, not keeping food warm, etc. If she gets bad feedback, she knows they are bad. If she gets good feedback, she knows they are good. It is rather simple.

Interview 3: McAlister’s Deli General Manager (29M)

                For him and his restaurant, catering comprises a considerable portion of the restaurant’s revenue (with delivery and in-restaurant sales just behind). As such, a considerable amount of time is spent trying to create the best customer experience for these individuals, from the food offered to even the bags, drinks, and utensils. A lot of though and planning goes into this. When he needs bags for a catering event, he always emphasizes quality (and branding, of course) over everything. Price matters, obviously, but it takes a back-seat role in the decision-making process. If he can find a bag that is high quality, has good branding, and is reasonable, he will jump on it in a heartbeat. The only problem with this is that he has yet to find any such bag that meets these standards. Bags he finds are either way too low quality, or way too exuberantly priced for him to make good profit margins. He has been switching back and forth, trying to find what works best for fear of losing customers over a sub optimal solution.

                He purchases all of his bags in cash via an online B2B ecommerce site that specializes in restaurant supplies. He has been using them for the last year and isn’t all too happy. He is considering switching to a new provider. He has to consult with higher ups to make decisions but has a good deal of say in the process of choosing.

                His evaluation of whether or not a bag is good or bad relies upon how it performs in a real-life situation (i.e. customers ordering). If he gets good feedback, it lets him know that the bags he used can be counted on. If he gets negative feedback, then he knows he needs to find a new bag, ASAP. The only problem he has encountered is that he has not found a bag or provider that produces consistent, reliable results. Some customers have bad experiences, while others have great ones. This leads him to believe that the quality of even the high-end bags he has purchased are still lacking.

Summary:

                All of my customers order via online B2B sites and pay in cash. Their highest priorities are quality and branding, but price still plays a lesser role. They care about customer feedback and experience above all else. They need to get customers to come back for more orders.

Conclusion:

                My segment spends a good bit of time on alternative evaluation due to the high stakes nature of it (losing or keeping customers, lower or higher profits). As such, they are always looking for new solutions and are very receptive of new ideas in this area. They make their purchases online, in cash, and care mostly about quality and branding (but also price). They need approval from higher up but make a good deal of the calls and decisions after that. The end all be all for them is customer feedback.

                One thing that I realized from this is that in order to find potential clients, I may be able to search through restaurant reviews online that make note of low-quality bags, and then target those restaurants as potential clients as a way to vet out who may and may not be a potential customer for my product.