The high cost of books is a frequent complaint I hear from students around campus and is something that has I have personally had to deal with. Just recently we had as guest speaker the president of Follet, the company that runs our bookstore where he explained to us how publishing companies are approaching the business with the same strategy like pharmaceutical companies, where they create a portfolio of products and apply a pyramid pricing strategy based on how risky each project is. I believe leaving such an important product to the nation's interest entirely to market forces is outrageous (probably no less than for pharmaceutical companies) and have thought about solutions to the problem. One that at least can alleviate the problem is a better sharing system. Currently if you wanna pass down or share a book you go to Facebook pages or other online pages, but there is no one integrated place where we could effectively and easily do that, and that is where I see an opportunity. I went around to ask potential customers about whether they are if so how dissatisfied they are with the book prices. One last question I asked is whether they'd be in support of making book prices a part of tuition (or push Student Government to advocate for that), and the responses to that were mixed. They all (except 1)agreed though the prices of books are unreasonable and that something need be done about it.
Hi Lirim,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the prices of our textbooks are outrageous. I actually stopped buying textbooks, because the costs just completely outweigh the benefits each time. I think a better sharing system is a great opportunity you've shed light on, and is something I, along with other peers of mine, would definitely use. I know I use Facebook to find old textbooks, but a system dedicated for textbooks would definitely be utilized by UF students. My interviews were about food and night cafes in Gainesville. Here is the link! -http://daniellesteinent3003.blogspot.com/2016/01/customer-interviews-no-1.html
Well done conducting the interviews Lirim! I see that you have identified a need, but how might one go about solving this need exactly? How could you reduce costs? This opportunity seems to be tricky, but you have executed the assignment well.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
-Angela
Lirim, I 100% agree that costs of textbooks are outrageous. I end up spending at least $400 a semester on textbooks. Your interviews were conducted very well. Although one thing I did notice was that you seemed to be a little nervous (which is expected). Hopefully with future interviews it'll be come a little more comfortable. Another thing I was wondering is how would you go about finding a solution for this problem? Instead of thinking about how to incorporate the costs into tuition, maybe try to find a way to create the textbooks for cheaper, which would allow them to be sold for cheaper as well. Just something to think about. Good job and good luck!
ReplyDeleteI conducted my interviews about a coffee delivery service. Check it out here: http://kalimcauleyentrepreneur.blogspot.com/2016/01/interview-customers-no-1.html