There are many alternative methods for college students to get their textbooks. Many use websites like Amazon or eBay. Most of the people I talked to said that they actually buy their textbooks from the bookstore or the use the all-access codes that UF provides. From what I gathered most students choose from where to buy their textbooks based on either price or convenience. Some said that they try to find the cheapest version of the textbook, and others just said that they get it from the bookstore because it is really convenient especially when they need to get the textbook quickly. For the post-purchase evaluations, students said that they hate when they spend money on a textbook and end up using only once or twice during the semester, or when they found people in their class that were able to find cheaper versions of the textbook. They think it was a good purchase when they use the textbook a lot and it proves very important for the class they are in.
I was not able to conduct as many interviews as I would have liked and they were pretty short, however, I do think that most students would have the same problems and mindsets that I have described.
Seeing that price and convenience was important to the people you interviewed, it shows that there is definitely a market for your idea. It would be important focus your app to offer cheap prices and have a friendly interface that will make it easy to use. When I buy textbooks I usually use ebay or the book store, but would definitely consider a app if it was cheap and easy.
ReplyDeleteDear Maria,
ReplyDeleteI think you did an excellent job researching more about buyer behaviors and how that would connect to your service. Personally, I mostly buy my textbooks online. I also primarily buy them depending on how necessary they are for the class. So, the price does not matter if I can not pass the course without buying the textbook.
Hey Maria! Although you couldn’t interview as many people as you would’ve liked to, I think you did a great and accurate job with assessing how college students go about buying textbooks. Personally, like Riley, I also purchased my textbooks online for the most part. I choose to look for the cheapest option. But, overall, I don’t usually buy textbooks unless they are absolutely necessary. I definitely think that is one thing that you could consider for your business as I feel that many other college students do the same. Great job!
ReplyDelete-Jenna