ADV ACCOUNT PLANNING AND RESEARCH

Focus Group Research

Research Approach:

Our overall research approach for our focus group was to gather individuals that fit in our

target age range that we knew were avid shoppers. We conducted this research to gain better

insight about consumer opinions of the East Lansing Pitaya clothing store as well as shopping

behavior and preferences. As a part of our moderator guide, we split the session into two parts —

“General Shopping Questions” and “Pitaya Specific Questions”. The moderator guide can be

found in Appendix A.

Rationale:

Our goal was to discover and better understand the feelings college-aged women (18-22

years old) have about Pitaya as a place to shop for women’s clothing in East Lansing. We also

aimed to gain an understanding of consumer preferences, shopping behavior and purchasing

intentions for stores such as Pitaya and its competitors, such as Urban Outfitters and Forever 21.

Recruiting Plan:

Our plan for recruiting was for each member of our team to recruit 2 - 3 participants by

sending a general message to friends or acquaintances about our focus group (group

members included our screener questions in the message).

Focus Group Details: We conducted one focus group with 10 total participants. The

focus group introductions lasted approximately 15 minutes while the questioning portion

lasted about 25 minutes, totaling approximately 40 minutes. The focus group was

conducted in a quiet study room at one of our researcher’s apartment complex on 300 W

Grand River Ave. The focus group took place on October 19, 2018, at 1:00pm.

Participant profile: Our participants were aged between 18 and 22 years old. They were

college students, avid shoppers, and buyers of boutique clothing with average-to-above-

average knowledge about the industry and Pitaya.

Screeners: First, we asked if potential participants have ever shopped in Pitaya. We

wanted individuals who knew of the brand and have been inside the store before. Our

next screener question we asked potential participants was, “How often do you shop in a

typical month?” We then screened out participants that shopped less than five times a

month. This allowed us to distinguish if participants would have enough shopping

experience and store awareness in East Lansing to provide critical and valuable feedback.

Participant Incentives: Our group provided participants with pizza, donuts, cookies, and

water as an incentive for participation.

Key Findings:

One of the major key findings we gained from the focus group was that the East Lansing

Pitaya is usually not a first choice for college women in this area to go shopping. All of our

participants noted that the store lacks advertising, and the only way they were aware of the

clothing store was from friends they knew who shop there. They claimed that the store was

convenient, but not necessarily easy to get to location-wise with parking. For example, one of

our participants informed us that their most preferred time to go shopping is, “Right before the

weekend, because I want to find an outfit to wear to go out.”

All of our participants generally had different shopping styles. Whether it was “taking a

lap first” or “grabbing as many things to try on as possible,” shopping behavior responses

varied by participant. Our participants also brought to our attention that when shopping, they are

more likely to make a purchase while shopping alone rather than if they are shopping with a

friend(s). When asked why, they explained that they feel less pressured for time and less guilty

about searching and trying on different clothing pieces in-stores when they are alone. They find

themselves going shopping more often alone when they have an event or occasion to shop for,

rather than when they are looking for a something to do — they tend to go with friends to

leisurely shop and get opinions from friends on clothing selections.

The group seemed to prefer Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 due to the aesthetic, clothing

variety, organization of the stores, and pricing (pricing was relevant and favorable particularly at

Forever 21). One participant made a point of saying, “Nobody goes to Pitaya to just shop

around for fun.” After asking for further elaboration, the subject noted that girls shopping at

Pitaya are typically looking for a specific item, and then leave immediately if the item is not

found, leading to short store visits. In comparison to Urban Outfitters, the group explained that

they prefer the “vibe” of Urban (music, layout, appearance), and that they would enjoy simply

“hanging out” there. One participant also noted that Pitaya is seemingly a “last resort” option

they visit AFTER they have checked stores such as Urban Outfitters or Forever 21. They claimed

to have better luck finding what they are looking for at other competitor stores versus Pitaya, due

to its small layout and lack of clothing variety.

Another general consensus among the group was that Pitaya’s Instagram page was not up

to par with competitors’ aesthetics and promotional materials on social media. It was found that

Pitaya’s page had outfits laid out on the ground and not on models. One subject claimed,

“Urban’s Instagram page is more professionally done with all clothing on models.” When

asked about social media influencers, our group particularly appreciate looking through

influencer pages to get ideas about how to pair clothing together, and where to find certain

clothing.

One eye-opening question we asked was, “What factors are most important to you in

your overall shopping experience and why?” One notable quote we received from this question

was, “Price. I think to myself — am I going to wear this once, or get my money's worth out of

it?” This helped us better understand that this particular group of college-aged girls may be even

more price sensitive than we initially predicted. They expect great value and quality in their

purchases — especially if it is only a one-time-wear type of clothing item.

Focus Group Research Analysis:

Overall, our focus group led us to believe that college-aged females in the East Lansing

area (typically aged 18-22), prefer to shop at Pitaya’s competitors due to the lack of aesthetic and

overall shopping experience in Pitaya. The lack of professionalism displayed in their social

media pages was also a noted drawback to the Pitaya brand. Moreover, it appears that individuals

may be more likely to spend time shopping when they are alone, which could mean a greater

chance of purchase. Their overall purchasing intentions when going to stores such as Pitaya and

their competitors seems to be for event and occasion shopping — this was quite a common

theme of our college participants.