Background Research
One of the members of our team, Mordy Opoczynski, interviewed Mr. Noah Ithal who is an expert in the field of strollers, in order to gain insight into the problem and potential solutions at hand. Below is the write up of their conversation:
Mordy: Hi, two of my classmates and I are working together on a project in the field of strollers. As part of our preliminary market analysis, we have decided to consult with an expert in the field to judge if the ideas we are currently brainstorming are practical, and if consumers would consider them useful. Would you be willing to dedicate a few minutes of your time to help us?
Noah Ithal: Absolutely.
Mordy: Thank you! The problem we are currently researching is in regards to the safety of children in strollers. Many injuries occur each year due to parents forgetting to buckle their children, so we are looking into adding some sort of system that would alert the stroller user when the occupant is not buckled. Firstly, do you feel that this is a problem stroller users identify with?
Noah Ithal: For sure. I know that was an issue when my children were younger.
Mordy: And do you think that people would like the idea of a vibrator buzzing or an LED flashing when their child isn’t buckled?
Noah Ithal: Definitely.
Mordy: How much money do you think the average person would be willing to spend on such a safety device?
Noah Ithal: I would think easily $100.
Mordy: How do you think we should incorporate it into the stroller? Would it make more sense to have the stroller company build it into the stroller during the manufacturing process or to sell it as an add on device to existing strollers?
Noah Ithal: I think manufactured. I think it's too complicated to have it in the after market. You’d have to bring it in to a specialist who’d install it for you. It’d be much simpler to have the manufacturer build it in and give the consumer the option to buy the upgraded safety stroller.
Mordy: In addition to this component, we are considering adding headlights that automatically turn on as it grows dark outside, to help the user avoid collisions and to see better. Do you think that this is a component that consumers would be willing to buy,and how much money would they spend on it?
Noah Ithal: I honestly think that's a really good idea. If you're walking at night it'd be really nice to illuminate the path ahead of you. To me, the light for the buckle plus the headlights seems like a really good idea. In my opinion, consumers would be willing to spend an additional $50 on this feature.
Mordy: One last question: A third component that we are considering adding is a brake that automatically stops the stroller if it is occupied and there are no hands on the handlebars. Do you think that it’d be practical to try this idea and consumers would appreciate it, or it is too difficult to tackle?
Noah Ithal: I think they’d appreciate it, but I think it should be in phase two. I’d suggest that you should do the first model, and then a year later come out with the handlebar braking system. It's very important in marketing to make consumers always feel that they’re behind in the game/missing something so they always come back.
Mordy: Thank you so much for your time.
Noah Ithal: Absolutely, my pleasure!
