15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

The segment of interviewees I chose were people who had been hacked or had a problem with online leaks in the past. For my first interview, I chose my roommate Caroline who had inadvertently liked a Ray-bans ad on Instagram and subsequently found Ray-bans ad posted to her Instagram page. All she did, was accidentally like an ad and then had her account “hacked.” After talking with her I realized that she really wanted to find a way to protect her privacy, especially on social media. Although she is on the lookout for a better protective/anti-virus system, she acknowledges her limitations. She isn’t willing to spend a lot in order to secure her private data. As a college student, she has a lot of other things to pay for before she can devote substantial money towards online safety. In regards to quality and style, she definitely prioritizes the former over the latter. According to Caroline, regardless of the looks of a security/check-point system she wants it to be effective. She wants something that will offer quality protection if she pays for it. Another thing she mentioned, when asked what she would prioritize when purchasing, was a system that wouldn’t take up too much space on her computer. She takes a lot of online classes, has pictures and other things already clouding her laptop, so downloading a program that will take up a significant portion of space isn’t ideal.

When I asked her if she was more likely to purchase a security software online or in-person with someone knowledgeable about the subject matter, she said she would rather do it in-person. This is because she isn’t aware of all the systems out there, and feels if she went to someone who understood her needs and was able to provide a cheap, safe solution it would be better. She said she would most likely use a credit card to make the purchase and try to do a free trial period, so if it isn’t effective she can cancel her subscription. When I asked her who would be involved in the purchase decision, she said she would definitely consult someone at a tech-store, as well as her dad before making a purchase. She judges the “rightness” of a purchase based on how much use she gets out of it, how long it stays in good quality and how effective it is. She knows she’s made a bad decision if there is a cheaper alternative on the market that achieves the same purpose and is just as good in quality. Also if a product wears down or breaks right away, she says she probably could’ve made a wiser decision.

The second person I interviewed was my cousin Nidhi who is currently an attending resident at Mt. Sinai. A few years ago she witnessed someone trying to steal patient records and data from her hospital and notified heads right away. Ever since then, her hospital has improved its cyber-security tremendously, but is still looking for ways to effectively secure sensitive patient information. Although she isn’t in charge of purchasing a system to achieve this, she can lend her opinion to those that are. When I asked her if price matters, she said to a degree, but since her hospital is one of the biggest in the entire country, they’d probably be willing to spend a lot in order to ensure security. In addition, she said quality rather than style was most important. Patient records can be mishandled and used for malicious purposes, so a system that protects this online data effectively is what matters. Another factor she mentioned was the importance of more checkpoints. She said that while their current system has multiple checkpoints, the information needed to access patient files isn’t very hard to find. Having a security system with passwords and key information that isn’t easily accessible is what would really help secure the system. Our hospital is most likely to purchase a security system online because we are trying to update our cyber-security.

According to Nidhi, since this would be a system to enhance the online security of the entire hospital they would most likely finance the purchase. The heads of our department and IT team would be in charge of the ultimate decision and purchase. Nidhi states that when she thinks about right purchases she made in the past, she thinks about products or services that she used over and over again, an made life easier and fun. When she thinks about bad purchases, she thinks about stuff she bought that only got a 1 time use and are still in storage to this day.

The last person I interviewed was my dad who works in the IT department for Cerebral Palsy in New York. Since my dad is one of the managers at the IT department he is in charge of purchasing software that is up to date and effective in protecting thousands of computers and servers. When I asked him if price matters, he stated that while he considers price, he mostly takes into account quality. He looks at the software and how a product is manufactured before purchasing anything. For a security system, he also takes into account whether or not a company offers a trial period. Since my dad manages so many computers on a daily basis, trying out a security system before implementing it for the entire network is essential. He always wants to make sure he’s a step ahead of people trying to steal information from the company and private user data. According to my dad by analyzing critical information of a security system and comparing it to others out there, he usually makes purchases online. Since he works for a big company, this purchase is usually financed. When I asked my dad what he considers a right purchase he stated something that is good quality, relatively cheap and can last a long time. He considers a bad purchase to be something that breaks down easily or is too expensive for what is given in return.

Following my interviews, I can definitely acknowledge that there is a big and diverse market for cyber-security. Many people are looking to protect private date and sensitive records from hackers or companies specifically targeted at stealing information. My interviewees all had similar answers for what they considered good and bad purchases. They want something that is relatively inexpensive, effective, good-quality and long-lasting. Another factor they all had in common was quality over aesthetics, when it comes to a security system. Depending on whether they are looking to purchase for themselves or for a large corporation, their answers on the method of purchase varied. In addition, the specific qualities they were looking for in a security system also varied based on where they worked and what they needed it for. In terms of alternative evaluation, purchase decision and post-purchase evaluation, I believe this segment took into account all the right factors when trying to boost their cyber-security. They all want bang for their buck and are interested in quality, rather than price or looks.