Forming an Opportunity Belief
1) Beginning Point: One opportunity that I have seen exists in the Gainesville Publix on 34th street. Currently the lines to check out are often very long and I think they are missing a good opportunity to put some self-checkout lines in to speed up the checkout process for those with few items.
2) Describe Your Belief: The main unmet need involves people that only need to pick up a few items from the store and don’t want to wait in the long lines behind people that have a lot of items. Even though there is a ten items or less line, it is often crowded by several people making it equally as slow as the regular lines. The need has existed for a while. Many college students and Gainesville locals’ shop at that Publix. Right now, those with a small number of items typically go to the 10 items or less line but once again that line has a lot of people and still takes a lot of time to check out. I am about 75% sure this need exists because many people in the Gainesville Publix are only buying a few items and would like a faster way to check out.
3) Customer Interviews:
2) Describe Your Belief: The main unmet need involves people that only need to pick up a few items from the store and don’t want to wait in the long lines behind people that have a lot of items. Even though there is a ten items or less line, it is often crowded by several people making it equally as slow as the regular lines. The need has existed for a while. Many college students and Gainesville locals’ shop at that Publix. Right now, those with a small number of items typically go to the 10 items or less line but once again that line has a lot of people and still takes a lot of time to check out. I am about 75% sure this need exists because many people in the Gainesville Publix are only buying a few items and would like a faster way to check out.
3) Customer Interviews:
Cade Jarrard Audio File
Taylor Gordon Audio File
Ian Huartson Audio File
4) Reflection: Through the interviews I learned a lot about what people want in their shopping experience at Publix. A common theme through all three interviews was that the customers have experienced waits at Publix before. The difference, however, came in how customers want to interact with customer service. When I interviewed Ian, he brought up a good point that he shops at Publix for the good customer experience and likes interacting with the cashier. On the other hand, Cade and Taylor both wished to have at least a self-checkout option that way they could buy their items quicker. Cade brought up a good point that even if there were self-checkout machines, there would probably still be an employee there watching over the machines providing customer service as needed.
5) Summary: I think that there is still a good opportunity there for Publix on 34th street to put in self-checkout machines. Through my interviews I learned that people going to the Publix would like to have a quicker experience but still want the good customer experience that Publix is known for. Because of this reason I still think that that Publix should put in self-checkout machines but have a customer service rep there as needed. I believe that my opportunity now is more accurate than when I started. Entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. Without adapting it is hard to keep up with what your customers really want.
4) Reflection: Through the interviews I learned a lot about what people want in their shopping experience at Publix. A common theme through all three interviews was that the customers have experienced waits at Publix before. The difference, however, came in how customers want to interact with customer service. When I interviewed Ian, he brought up a good point that he shops at Publix for the good customer experience and likes interacting with the cashier. On the other hand, Cade and Taylor both wished to have at least a self-checkout option that way they could buy their items quicker. Cade brought up a good point that even if there were self-checkout machines, there would probably still be an employee there watching over the machines providing customer service as needed.
5) Summary: I think that there is still a good opportunity there for Publix on 34th street to put in self-checkout machines. Through my interviews I learned that people going to the Publix would like to have a quicker experience but still want the good customer experience that Publix is known for. Because of this reason I still think that that Publix should put in self-checkout machines but have a customer service rep there as needed. I believe that my opportunity now is more accurate than when I started. Entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities based on customer feedback. Without adapting it is hard to keep up with what your customers really want.
William,
ReplyDeleteI think your opportunity is great! I often times think about that as well and it is one of my bugs, although I forgot to include it in my post, which is why I think it is great. Having self checkout lines would help the customers have a better experience at the store which would guarantee them going back there more often. As students, I think we can all agree we are often in a hurry and need to get things done fast which proves why this would be great. Keep up the good work!