FUTURISTPANELQuick Hits

Overview

The Futurist Panel is a Campus Media led group ofcollege students from Minnesota. The goal of this panel is to aquire knowledge about campus trends, their buying habits, brand affinities, and communica-tion preferences.

Campus Quick Hits

They still shop at brick and mortar stores The panel said that most commercial retail sites were behind the times in ease of browsing shopping. Amazon is the only site they thought was condusive to

browsing. They wished retail websites reflected entertainment sites likeNetflix and Hulu in their category sorting, recommendations, and general func-tionality. Although the panel prefered shopping online when they knew exactly

what they wanted, they said they prefered to browse in the store.

Carrying Branded collateral items is not the same as asking to post onlineOur panel is vehemently against marketing for brands with their online

personas inauthentically, however, they didn’t think anything of carrying a branded collateral item across campus or using it in their daily lives.

Your discount has to be high, or they will ignore itWhen asked about what percentage off would move them to buy something,

they said the bare minimium was 25%. They expect as high as 50% off to encourage a purchase out of them.

Discounts aren’t vital when purchasing for othersThe Panel asserts that when they are shopping for themselves they need a

discount to purchase, but the panel said that if they have found the perfect gift for someone else, they would buy regardless of discount.

Campus Quick Hits (cont.)

They do not like BOGO The panel said that because they are poor college students, they barely have

enough money to buy 1 item at full price. They don’t need or want to buy a second item, even if it is half off.

Student ID discount/exclusiveThe panel likes the idea of brands offering a Student ID discount or exclusive deal. The percentage off or exclusive didn’t have to be worth a lot, they just liked that it would not be available to general public. Offers like this make

them feel special.

They test all optionsWhen debating a purchase (big or small) the panel does a surprising amount

of research. They often check a variety of online marketplaces, looking for the best price. This is a huge part of the decision-making proccess in travel

purchases. The panel said they might research a vacation package on 4-5 dif-ferent sites (hotel, airline, and travel websites etc) to find which one provided

the lowest price and best freebies.

Gamification and the spinning wheelAs simple as it is, the panel loves the idea of a spinning wheel giveway where

everyone wins something, even if it is a small coupon or discount. They are willing to wait in long lines for their chance to play. The key is that even losing

must feel like winning. They have to walk away with something.

Etsy is gaining groundEtsy rivals giant corporations like Target and Amazon for the top store that

our panelists said they’d be doing their Christmas shopping on. Because Etsy is stocked with only hand-crafted and vintage items, they are almost guarantee-

ing that their presents will remain unique and personal.

They spend a lot of time researching before Traveling on Spring BreakThe panel was adament that they read a lot of reviews before making a Spring Break (or travel in general) decision. They spend, on average, 10 hours reading

reviews and doing reasearch before making a purchase.

ABOUT OURPanel

This panel is comprised of 8 female and 1 male participants, who currently attend the University of Minnesota and MCTC.

Genders: Female and Male

Age: 16-21

Race: White, Indian, Black, and Asian.

Area of Study: Communications, Marketing, Jour-

nalism, Chemistry, Physiology, Womens Studies, and

Neuroscience.

Median Family Income Level: $65,00-$75,000

Employment: All work part-time during the school

year. Average: 15.8 hrs hours a week. The majority of

them work on campus.

Statistics

Favorite Brands Mac Makeup, Clinique, Banana Republic, Urban Out-

fitters, Anthropology, Red Bull, and Roots Canada.

CASE STUDYHoliday Shopping

The Futurist Panel was surveyed about their Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping experiences.

“I like when [websites are] pre-sorted for gifts like, “for him, for her.”

“When it comes to College students, they all have things that they really

want-that they could really use. Most college students don’t live in luxury.”

“I am okay with the amount of emails and deals [during the season], because

I know it is eventually going to end.”

“I think REI’s choice [to stay closed on Black Friday] is really important. It

was good PR.”

“I will probably wait to shop [for presents] until five days out from

Christmas. There is no time to go to the store now.”

“I kind of feel bad asking my parents to spend [$150] on me.”

The majority of the panel participated in both Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. They feel that the whole season has become one big sale. The panel is unsure that they will get the best deal on those days; that it might actually be better to wait. They universally feel that Black Thursday is infringing on family time. They would feel better if stores waited to open till 10pm or Midnight on Black Thursday.

Overall Thoughts

CASE STUDYSpring Break

The Futurist Panel was asked to discuss their current Spring Break plans and what goes into their decision to purchase a vacation package or trip.

“Last year I thought, ‘I will stay and work [on break], because everyone

stays and works, no one actually goes on vacation.’ But apparently every-body does, and I was really lonely.”

“We were looking to spend under $1000 for an all-inclusive plus flight. They was a few of options, and there was a couple of places we didn’t want to go, but I guess price won that out.”

“I think the whole ‘road trip to Arizona’ is the biggest thing now. It’s the trendy thing- to do the National Parks. I would prefer an experience

trip over a vacation. I’ve done the beach thing.”

“Reading reviews-that’s the best thing to do to decide if [the deal] is real or

not, if it’s good or not.”

The panel was suprisingly “over” the typical College Spring Break beach experience. Only 2 of the 9 panel attendees were planning on participating in one. They liked the idea of a unique alternative road trip or volunteer trip. The Panel did say that the single most important determining factor is price. They said they are looking for a VIP experience, package exclusives, or gift bags.

Overall Thoughts

CASE STUDYCampus EventGiveaways

Common campus event giveaways were placed in the center of our table, and the Panel was asked to pick something up and discuss if they liked it as a college giveaway.

“Every college student needs a deck of cards, because of the “Ring of Death”

and other drinking games.”

“I think [car chargers] are more help-ful for people who have cars. I use

metro transit.”

“I am always losing headphones, so I would definitely keep these as a back-

up pair.”

“There is too many free bags.”

“There is less thought and feelings associated to objects like freebies. Doesn’t matter what logo is on it.”

“A couple of years ago they were handing out planners with coupons in them. I diverted my route to class to

get one.”

The panel was mostly impressed with the idea of giveaways. Free is free. They liked the water bottle, headphones, cord converter, screen wipe, planners, free food, and deck of cards. They thought the glasses, car charger, hand sanitizer, and bags were poor give-aways. The bags and sunglasses were items that the panel thought were given away too often on campus. The panel liked when giveways included the school colors and the school mascot, because the items felt more like something they’d wear already or pur-chase themselves. You also need to consider who is attending the giveaway even; if the school has a separate welcome week (before upperclassman arrive) you are only reach-ing incoming Freshman.

Overall Thoughts

SURVEYResults

A survey was given to the Futurist panel to determine their buying preferences, habits, when it came to Holiday Shopping.

What retailer or website did you look to this holiday season to purchase

from?

AmazonEtsy

TargetForever 21

What made your decision to purchase a product Online vs. In store?

Free Shipping 88%A Discount 88%

An Exclusive Product 55%A company I know and trust 44%

Convenience 44%A trusted Recommendation 11%

What informed your purchase habits during the Holiday Season?

Email Offers 77%Word of Mouth 55%

Digital Ads 44%Newspaper Ads 11%

Did you take part in Black Friday or Cyber Monday offers?

How did you like to recieve unsolicated (but relevant) ads this

time of year?

Email 66%Newspaper Ads 22%

Banner Ads 11%Direct Mail 11%

8/9 said “Yes.”

The panel spent, on average, $122 on gifts this holiday season.

The range was $100-$500.

What percentage of your shopping during the holiday season was for

yourself?

Less than 10% 11%10-30% 55%31-50% 11% 51-70% 22%

What was on your Christmas list?

Money & GiftcardsClothes

Warm Stuff (Mittens, Scarves etc.)Baking Equipment

Apartment FurnishingsElectronicsGroceries

Books

SURVEYBrandsLikability

We asked the panel what brands they liked most. The scale was 1-5, with 5 being the “most liked. “

Most liked Brands (5)

Least liked Brands (1)

Google 5

Target 4.6Apple 4.2YouTube 4.6Facebook 4.4Netflix 4.2Nike 4.1

Urban Outfitters 3.8 Amazon Prime 3.7Coke 3.6Keen 3.6Disney 3.6Under Armor 3.6 Samsung 3.3Uber 3.25

Dove 2.8 Subway 2.8Wendys 2.8Walmart 2.4

Billabong 1.9 AEROPOSTALE 1.2