Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

The segment that I identified that exists in my venture market are individuals who perform manual labor outside and on elevated surfaces. The individuals that primarily compose this segment are those employed within the roofing industry. This manual labor segment is rather prominent within the workforce---the roofing industry, alone, generated $47.1 billion in revenue in 2020. I interviewed three individuals to better understand the needs of this segment. Of the individuals I interviewed, two are roofers and one is a general construction worker. I will further summarize the findings from these interviews below. These interviews provided me invaluable insight in terms of the awareness that my potential customers may have. Upon conducting the interviews, I realized that the three individuals reiterated similar sentiments when explaining when their need becomes the most salient. All three expressed that they realize a need for further protective equipment when whether seems unpredictable. This concern often arises before actually going to the work site---when the forecast is cloudy or murky. The individual involved in general construction also explained that this need may become apparent on the job (while working) when overcast weather unexpectedly emerges. When asked about the frequency of this concern, the two roofers explained that this concern is rather inevitable and utterly impossible to completely prepare for. This is due to the uncertain nature of weather. As one of the roofers put it, "Mother Nature simply has a mind of her own... you may think it's sunny one second but then it begins raining." When it comes to information search, the general construction worker had a different response than the two roofers. The general construction worker explained that he already has a hard helmet for his occupation. Thus, when he becomes aware of this need, he tends to opt for the helmet he already has because "it's better than nothing." He did acknowledge, however, that the helmet provides a rather false sense of security when it comes to protection against weather conditions, like lightning strikes. As for the two roofers, they expressed that they do not wear any protective headgear---even when the forecast appears cloudy. Their reasoning for this was two-fold: 1) there is no protective equipment for roofers out there and 2) they fear that any added equipment will hinder their comfortability when it comes to working. Thus, they have not taken any substantial measures to find a solution to this problem. However, after hearing more and more about lightning accidents from colleagues within the industry, both of them did express growing concern for added safety and protective gear.

After conducting the interviews, I learned more about the nature of the need for weather protective headgear---particularly when it exactly becomes relevant. All three interviewees explained that this need arises when the weather looks cloudy or potentially stormy. However, the problem with this is that weather can be often unpredictable. Therefore, the protective headgear needs to be constructed in a manner that allows workers to feel comfortable in always wearing it, regardless of what the current weather may look like. Further, it was reaffirmed that this headgear will have to be constructed in a manner that does not hinder or cause obstruction to the workers' task at hand (i.e. it cannot be too heavy or cause uncomfortable levels of heat). Overall, I would succinctly describe this segment as manual laborers who are easily exposed to hazardous weather conditions and are never wanting to sacrifice efficiency. Although they recognize the need to protect themselves from dangerous weather, they will only use protective equipment if it is deemed comfortable and practical for the demands of their job. Practicality was an essential component of the interviewees' information search.