The segment I chose to focus on were college students that
are currently living with roommates. Not in the search for some or living in
fraternity or sorority houses.
Throughout the interviews, I discovered that almost everyone
has a fear to move in with random roommates, therefore making this unmet need
of a roommate matching service even more worthy. Thankfully all of my
interviews showed they had time to search for a roommate or roommates and didn’t
really have to rush into a situation where they moved in with someone that had
nothing in common. With regards to when they started searching, there really
wasn’t any specific time recorded. Mainly they started to look near the end of
beginning of the year. When asked about using search engines or what they might
have typed, I only recorded one person using a search engine and mainly focused
on apartments rather than roommates. Another possible alley for this business
concept was implementing this sort of roommate search service through apartments
and universities. Apartments could use this service to have a better tenant
service and universities could use it to better room up the incoming students
who take place in the dorms with other new students. This segment definitely
shows need awareness; they have thought processes before any decision is made,
they’re not “impulse” decisions. This segment consistently tries to have their
need met by word of mouth more than anything else; focusing on this method will
help increase the development of this business concept. Google and other search
engines won’t have a huge impact unless it becomes a last resort.
Sergio,
ReplyDeleteOnce again I think your idea is awesome and the interviews you had definitely agree. I totally agree that finding roommate in apartments is even hard than just freshman dorm rooms. Apartment living can be even more stressful and it is important to find people you live well with. Word of mouth is how my roommate and I found our other third person to live with so I definitely agree that this is a major tool people can use. Overall, great post!
Sergio,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great idea! I could see this being very useful in college towns. It could also be a great success for non-college apartment dwellers in search of roommates. Honestly, I think that it would be more important for that sector. In college you can change out roommates by semester if needed, but after college it is typically at least a year commitment. To me that is could be a disaster with the wrong person as your roommate! I could see a real need for this type of service.
Hey Sergio,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed all of your interviews and getting to hear all of their stories with previous roommates. I especially liked your interview with Matt. I can’t believe his roommates dog pooped on his bed! I agree that this segment definitely has a need for your service. Everybody knows of stories about horrible roommates and it has made searching for the perfect roommate seem even more hopeless. I believe your idea will be a great way to put an end to the horror of random roommates.
Hey Sergio,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on this post! As I mentioned in your previous post, I think your idea is an interesting and intriguing one. There will always be a demand for a service that matches up compatible roommates, which your potential service clearly provides. Your service could help many college students as they try to meet compatible roommates.
Hey Sergio,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on this post! As I mentioned in your previous post, I think your idea is an interesting and intriguing one. There will always be a demand for a service that matches up compatible roommates, which your potential service clearly provides. Your service could help many college students as they try to meet compatible roommates.
This is my first time hearing about your idea and I think it's awesome! Apartment complexes around Gainesville are set up to where one has to depend on them to set you up with the most compatible roommates and even though that may work sometimes, it's not a reliable solution. I think your idea could essentially be the future, especially for college towns, for solving the roommate issues most college students face. I can't wait to hear more about your idea as we dive deeper into the semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Sergio, you did a great job on your post! You have some really great interviews. Having a search service to find roommates would be a great way for people to interact with their future roommates instead of meeting them for the first time on move-in day. This will give a chance for people to see if they really want to live with these people.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you have renters, there will be a need for this service. I think that university students would probably be your biggest clientele. This service will help save a lot of time and hopefully headaches in finding a roommate. Good job on your interviews. Your questions were very thorough and thought out.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
Hey Sergio,
ReplyDeleteI think your idea for this service is absolutely great. I'm honestly always so weary of roommate searching, and it's just so hard to find someone compatible to live with. I think there's absolutely an unmet need here, and a business like this can definitely flourish in Gainesville because of the array of housing options here. Great job, and great job with the interviews, as well!
-Jared
Having previously working at an apartment complex, the roommate matching we provide is not extensive at all. Basically we just try not to match up someone is the same gender and maybe if they are messy or not. I personally haven't had to go the random roommate route but my brother did and it was a horrible experience for him. His roommate and him had nothing in common, along with a long resume of arrests. To say the least, he fought 6 months and finally got to move out. Your service could really improve an apartments chances at signing more clients, cool idea!
ReplyDelete