Need your help and insight!

Greetings,

I am involved in a school project to set up a new and innovative marketing program for a child seat manufacturer. I was given a task to find out how child seat buyers think and react to certain situations and offers. I was hoping someone here can help me by commenting on the following situations I came up with:

1. How would you react if you were given a return policy of 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, lifetime?. Would this alter your buying decision and why?

2. What if you were given a $250 child seat for free, in exchange for advertising and selling support? Meaning you would have an ad on your car, and you would demonstrate the child seat to other potential buyers in your community. Maybe on a commission basis, like AVON.

3. Would you like more fabric choices? Maybe to match your car's interior or your child's favorite color? How about leather to match your interior?

4. Would you rather buy online or "brick & morter" store and why?

5. If you were buying online, would you rather buy from a retailer that carries ALL brands, or a manufacturer sponsored website with just their product?

6. What matters more to you: Price, Return Policy, Service, or other residual benefits?

7. And finally: What is the #1 "situation" that would alter your buying decision (aside from features)? What do you REALLY REALLY want?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! And I appologize in advance if this is inappropriate for this forum.

Thanks,
Jack

1. How would you react if you were given a return policy of 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, lifetime?. Would this alter your buying decision and why?

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• Carseats expire within about 6 years, so lifetime is definitely out of the question -- even 1 year is too long, IMO, unless the store follows the manufacturer's guidelines & hopefully the manufacturer does not allow returned seats withint that timeframe to be resold.... 1 month seems a decent enough time frame to test the seat & see if it works, but 3 months might be mor realistic considering some carseats are given as gifts before baby even arrives.

2. What if you were given a $250 child seat for free, in exchange for advertising and selling support? Meaning you would have an ad on your car, and you would demonstrate the child seat to other potential buyers in your community. Maybe on a commission basis, like AVON.

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• A sticker on my car, fine ... "teaching" other potential buyers Only if that person is a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician

3. Would you like more fabric choices? Maybe to match your car's interior or your child's favorite color? How about leather to match your interior?

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• Yes, fabric choices are nice -- sometimes it's the only reason parents choose carseats, though, so I personally would actually prefer that carseats with higher risk misuse problems not to have such extra snazzy options to entice unsuspecting parents or child care providers @@

4. Would you rather buy online or "brick & morter" store and why?

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• Real live "brick & mortar" -- more stores should allow parents to test carseats out in their vehicles before buying (otherwise, online shops should more frequently have free shipping & good return policies)

5. If you were buying online, would you rather buy from a retailer that carries ALL brands, or a manufacturer sponsored website with just their product?

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• This doesn't really matter to me ... price & customer service (regarding returns, etc.) is more important to me -- for questions re: use of product, I always call the manufacturer itself.

6. What matters more to you: Price, Return Policy, Service, or other residual benefits?

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• IMHO, as someone who grew up in & is inheriting a family-owned business -- service should encompass all that....

7. And finally: What is the #1 "situation" that would alter your buying decision (aside from features)? What do you REALLY REALLY want?

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• Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians employed by carseat retailers

1. How would you react if you were given a return policy of 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, lifetime?. Would this alter your buying decision and why?

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Yes, I want to know if I bought a seat and it didn't work for us, that I can return it at NO cost to me. But past a 1m policy from date of arrival is too long, people may use the seat for a long trip then return it. Every carseat fits every child and every car differently, so you sometimes will need to return them until you find the right one.

2. What if you were given a $250 child seat for free, in exchange for advertising and selling support? Meaning you would have an ad on your car, and you would demonstrate the child seat to other potential buyers in your community. Maybe on a commission basis, like AVON.

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I would do it ONLY if I believed in the product. I would also want someone demonstrating the seat to be certified in this area.

3. Would you like more fabric choices? Maybe to match your car's interior or your child's favorite color? How about leather to match your interior?

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Yes more cover choices, but no on the leather. I do not find leather comfortable and overheating would be a big issue in the carseat.

4. Would you rather buy online or "brick & morter" store and why?

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Brick&Morter because I can play with the seat before I buy it. But I don't mind buying online either if there is a good deal or I have already played with the seat and know I like it.

5. If you were buying online, would you rather buy from a retailer that carries ALL brands, or a manufacturer sponsored website with just their product?

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I would buy from someone with good prices, good dates, a good reputation, and good shipping and returning policies.

6. What matters more to you: Price, Return Policy, Service, or other residual benefits?

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That is a tough one. I want great customer service from the seat maker. But I want the retailer to have good policies and be polite. My child's life is priceless- so I will pay what I have to to keep him safe, but not everyone can/will do this.

7. And finally: What is the #1 "situation" that would alter your buying decision (aside from features)? What do you REALLY REALLY want?

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Well what I REALLY want are more options for harnessing my long torsod son past 40lbs that don’t cost an arm and a leg. But that is not what you are asking lol!
I would be more likely to buy from a place that had a certified tech on hand at ALL times to make sure all parents used their seat right. I would be drawn to them because I support this idea.

1. How would you react if you were given a return policy of 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, lifetime?. Would this alter your buying decision and why?


I have a problem with this question and would not buy a seat that was returned. Having the seat returned after a trial period poses questions. What is the history of the seat even only after a month? Was the seat involved in a crash?

This is true.... Our stores here havea 90 day no questions asked return policy, which I know has been helpful for many families who have gotten carseats as Baby Shower gifts -- they were returned NIB, but with this kind of return policy I do feel worried about buying from the stores now. I would still like a similar length of time for returning (because of such situations as gift seats, buying before travel, etc) but it seems just common sense that a store should have a form to fill out about length of use, any items (stickers, etc.) removed or washed, was there an accident, etc. & if the carseat is not NIB it must not be resellable!

Gee, ditto the above..
Basically "what she said" to Papooses. As I read her answers I just kept nodding my head, yep, yep,that's what I think too

It was rather weird actually LOL

1. How would you react if you were given a return policy of 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, lifetime?. Would this alter your buying decision and why?
I agree, 1-3 months is reasonable, but that does pose the resale of a used car seat dilemma

2. What if you were given a $250 child seat for free, in exchange for advertising and selling support? Meaning you would have an ad on your car, and you would demonstrate the child seat to other potential buyers in your community. Maybe on a commission basis, like AVON.
Sure, I'd post a sticker on my car, but agree..a tech should demonstrate use

3. Would you like more fabric choices? Maybe to match your car's interior or your child's favorite color? How about leather to match your interior?
I love fabric choices! The more the merrier

4. Would you rather buy online or "brick & morter" store and why?
Brick and mortar, definitely. I want to touch and feel and see and fidget and play MUST be allowed to install in my car. VERY important.

5. If you were buying online, would you rather buy from a retailer that carries ALL brands, or a manufacturer sponsored website with just their product?
That doesn't matter much to me, just as long as the retailer is quite familiar with the products they carry. As Papooses mentioned, issues are generally brought to the manufacturer, but still...the retailer ought to have considerable knowledge here as well. So, if the retailer can't provide adequate info there for several brands, then they ought to just stick to one. As far as I"m concerned.

6. What matters more to you: Price, Return Policy, Service, or other residual benefits?
Customer service ranks pretty doggone high. I need to be able to tolerate the person on the other end of the line or other side of the counter

7. And finally: What is the #1 "situation" that would alter your buying decision (aside from features)? What do you REALLY REALLY want?
Aside from features? I'd have to agree with the tech on premises. I have bough 3 Britax from the same retailer and NOT ONCE did they offer to help with the seat install, check it, direct us, anything. And isn't that their 'thing' ? That the Britax dealers are to help in that area? They *may* have if we had asked, but the point is, we needn't ask. It ought to be offered, darn near insisted, that the knowledgable staff assist in proper installation

1. How would you react if you were given a return policy of 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, lifetime?. Would this alter your buying decision and why?

I agree with the pp. A return policy is great as long as the seat returned is unused, or it is defective and then not re-sold.



2. What if you were given a $250 child seat for free, in exchange for advertising and selling support? Meaning you would have an ad on your car, and you would demonstrate the child seat to other potential buyers in your community. Maybe on a commission basis, like AVON.

I would do it IF I believed that it was a good seat, at least for some situations (it wouldn't have to be a Britax level seat- even the cheaper Cosco Scenera is a good seat for some situations)and IF I did not have to exclusively recommend it. For example, I would "demo" a Radian or another new seat to someone who was interresed or asked about a higher weight limit seat, but I would also mention the Britax seats. I am a tech, so I would be comfortable demenstrating the install.

3. Would you like more fabric choices? Maybe to match your car's interior or your child's favorite color? How about leather to match your interior?

Yes! I think that parents like being able to have either "personalized" seats for their children like pink flowers for a girl etc, or "matching" seats that match their car or other car seats.

4. Would you rather buy online or "brick & morter" store and why?

I don't mind buying from an online store IF I have been able to try the seat out IRL. I might consider trying one sight-unseen if I could return it if it didn't work and not be out ANY money, including shipping.

5. If you were buying online, would you rather buy from a retailer that carries ALL brands, or a manufacturer sponsored website with just their product?

Doesn't matter.

6. What matters more to you: Price, Return Policy, Service, or other residual benefits?

I think a good value (price for quality) and service are most important.



7. And finally: What is the #1 "situation" that would alter your buying decision (aside from features)? What do you REALLY REALLY want?

A seat that is a good value from a company that stands by it. (Assuming safelty is a non-negitiable.)

Joy
CPS tech and mom to a 2.5 yr old