12a Figuring out buyer behavior

For my segment, I am going to pick a demographic that deals with having been diagnosed with a disease, Diabetes in particular. Although people with and without diabetes will be included in the market I feel that I have talked more about the demographic of young people trying to live healthier lifestyles than older people that have this disease. I found it very easy to find more than 3 people that live with diabetes. My Grandfather, my Grandmother, and 2 of my Grandmothers friends I found had diabetes in less than 5 minutes of asking around.

The First interview I conducted on my Grandfather. He has tried to eat low sugar manufactured foods and said that they are all terrible so he lives his life by strictly eating organic vegetables, and meats and cooks everything he eats at home to know exactly what is going into his body. I asked him if he would be willing to try a cereal that was advertised as little to no sugar, organic, and still tasted good. He said yes IF someone else had tried it and reported to him that it was actually good. He said in the morning before going to work he always has to get up 20 minutes early so he can prepare a breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, and toast, this is when he finds the need to find a quick solution like pouring cereal and milk in a bowl eating then getting ready for work to be at the highest level. He has tried a few options like the “healthy alternatives” and said that they all just don’t fit his taste.

The second interview on my grandmother who is not as health conscious said that her need lies within being able to have something healthy and good tasting as a midnight snack in which she likes to eat cereal like honey nut cheerios which aren’t good for someone with diabetes. She also said that she has tried fruits instead but they all don’t satisfy the sweet tooth she has late at night. Therefore, a healthy cereal that has a sweet taste would help and keep her sugar more regulated.

The third person I interviewed was a friend of my grandmothers who also felt that she could use a breakfast that was easier to make since her health has been declining the past few years and the 15 minutes of standing that it requires for her to make breakfast in the mornings begins to make her back and knees hurt. She said if she was able to get a bowl of cereal sit down, and eat she would be able to get through her day a little easier. She says once she is warmed u she can stand for hours and not hurt but as soon as she gets out of bed the standing for a period of time really takes a toll. She said she has never considered trying cereal because she hasn’t ever really enjoyed many cereals since she was a kid but if there was a healthy alternative that tasted good she would definitely be willing to give it a shot to help make her do go by with less pain than usual.

What I found through these interviews is that people with diabetes even if they do not like cereal would love to have a healthy alternative to cereal whether it be for a breakfast alternative, or just to munch on. Since such a positive feedback was recorded from the three interviewees I believe that the market for an item like this would be huge. In the terms of information search I don’t know how well they would be able to find the product unless it’s just displayed in the store, heard about from word of mouth, or on a television advertisement.