Introduction
Consumer
behavior according to Perner (para. 2) refers to the study of how groups,
organizations and individuals who have the potential to buy a product or service
and how they select, purchase or buy, the use and how they finally dispose the
service, product or experience. Funfields Amusement Park offers ride services
for both the young and the old alike. The park was opened in 1985 in the
Whittlesea Alpine Toboggan Park and it featured several rides which included a
Toboggan ride which a kind of sled that is used to transport people over snow.
The sleds had the capacity to carry more than one person and they were mostly
used to carry children down the snow. Other activities offered at the park are
go-karting, other water rides and the latest addition was a pirate ship which
all along had been located at sea world. Funfields Amusement Park is
considering adding a new “aqua shak” which refers to a wet area which will
offer interactive play while also the children can slide. The aqua Shak will
also feature a “hydrostorm” where the container is filled with water and put
under pressure until the balloon explodes thus making people in the vicinity
wet. Funfields also had plans to build a water play area for toddlers. The
young children could play in the water all day and they have referred to the
facility as “Wacky waters” (Funfields, para. 1-5).
The
proposed additions are targeting the children as both of them are directly or
in some way targeting the children. The “Wacky waters” is meant for very young
children who were previously not catered for in the facility. The facility will
help the parents of children who were too young to use the facilities that were
presently available in the park. Some people were not visiting the parks not
because they did not want to but because they had young children who were not
catered for. According to City of Whittlesea (pp. 9) the profile of the area is
relatively younger than the average of Victoria. Between 2001 and 2006 there
was an impressive rise of 3% in the population of children aged between 0-4
years old. This group had not been taped on before thus the programs are bound
to succeed.
Issues Facing Consumers in Adopting this New Product
or Service
However
the adoption of new service by Funfields will depend on several factors. First is
the consumer self concept for instance their take on such issues as climate
change issue. The concept of self encompasses where the individual sees
themselves now and what the individual want to be. As in the issue of global
warming, many people have already recognized its effects and thus they are keen
at making their stands about the issue known. Since people have become more
conscious of the climate change issue, some people will be reluctant to visit
the park because they will think that they are helping towards the worsening of
the global warming condition (Rahbar & Wahid, pp. 73-83). Due to the
massive water needs, the increased use of water according to the
environmentally conscious consumers will lead to an imbalance in the natural
flows of water thus worsening the already pathetic state of the global
environment (Reid, pp. 28). The self concept of an individual is what brings
about the lifestyles that the people have
Eroglu,
Williams & Waller (pp. 420-434) also noted that the global financial
conditions will also affect the consumers’ decisions. They will be more
conscious of what they spend their money on thus in most cases they will want
to spend their money on an entertainment which will offer them maximum
enjoyment and value for their money. For instance the park can engage in high
quality customer experiences so that they can bank on repeat customers. Moreover,
the household structure also affects the acceptance levels of a new product.
There are houses where there are many children while others have small numbers
of children with considerable number of adults. The household structure has an
important influence in the decision made in the house to purchase any
particular product or service. The purchasing levels increase when the
individuals can be made to appreciate the benefits that the products will have
on the members of the family. The nature of the household should also be understood
well for instance whether it is woman headed, man headed or any other form of
family setting
Thirdly,
there are cultural differences of the target population that the service is
supposed to serve. The culture of an individual determines their belief system
which in turn helps in attitude creation towards or against the product or
service that the individual or family is being offered. Before individuals
decide to pay a visit to a water park, they will have to consider the dress
mode that they will be in during the leisure. The choice of attire and gender
roles affect whether the facility will be successful or not. The background of
the customers should be looked into carefully so that they can not have bad
experiences brought about by any form of embarrassment that may arise from the
course of their using the facility (Alam & Sayuti, pp. 8-10; Reid, pp. 28)
Consumer
emotion and motivation also play an important role in the consumer acceptance
of the services that they are being offered. Motivation stirs the consumer so
that they recognize the need in them to consume the service of product that
they are being offered. It makes the consumer think about the benefits that
they will derive from consuming the product. Emotions are the temporary changes
in the motivation of an individual. Raising the motivation of the adults who
must accompany the young children to the park is of outmost importance (Hoyer
& Macinnis, pp. 11-13).
Finally,
perception of the consumer is also important for the acceptance of a new product
in that it will form how the consumer views the service which they are being
offered. What the park needs to do is to study the perception of the consumers
about the park and specifically how they view the proposed additions and this
will help in the final decisions about the changes that need to be done by the
management so that they can improve the perception of the consumers. What
creates the perception of consumers is of very great importance to the
organization as this will show the acceptance levels of the proposal.
Perception of the consumer if not favorable for the firm can be changed for
instance by increased marketing campaigns. The attitudes of the consumers also
affect their acceptance of new products. The consumers most of the time compare
what they are being offered against their own attitudes and thus any
disparities make the consumers give the product a wide berth. The attitudes of
the consumer about a company always offer a clearer picture of whether the
consumers have it in high regard or they do not give it a second consideration
after they hear about it (Srivastava, pp.340-352).
Consumer Response to these Issues
A
consumer survey was conducted so that the views of the prospective consumers of
the product could be established to ensure that the resultant product is what
the consumers needed and not just a creation of Funfields Park. The interviews
were carried out to get the view of one single mother of a baby girl aged 3
years, a married mother of a boy aged two and a half years and a widowed man
who was a father of to twin boys aged four years and finally to a stay home
grandmother who was taking care of her granddaughter. The sample that was taken
was very representative of the market that was being targeted by the new
product that was being offered by Funfields Park. All the respondents to the
interview were from the city of Whittlesea which is the area where the product
was to be installed. Due to the diversity of the above sample, different issues
were raised concerning the new product that was being offered. One of the
respondents was a Muslim woman who raised a very important issue that would be
very important for the park if they were to tap into that sector of the market.
This is the group that the previous service that the park was offering
disadvantaged to a great extent. Since the children have little decision making
capacity and the ability to consume, the parents or guardians were in the best
position to articulate the issues that they consider important before they
could adopt the product.
The
target population was well informed about what was going on around them and
thus they also had a better recognition of what they wanted to see for
themselves and their children. When asked about their self concepts, they were
articulate about what they wanted whether in the public eye and their ideals.
Most of the people interviewed (three) out of the four were concerned about the
volume of water that the project will need against the background of water
shortages that were being brought about by global warming. Of particular
concern was how the park would deal with the water issue amidst the scarcity
that the world is facing. For the park to have substantial returns on their
investment, they had to do according to the wish of the target population. Reid
(pp. 28) stated that when Whitewater world a company that offered water games
in Queensland State, they were faced with the same dilemma as the city was
constantly experiencing water shortages. The manager of the park managed to
convince the consumers that they will be able to engage in sustainable use of
the resources that the nature provided. They installed eco-friendly Park that
was involved in efficient use of the resources that nature gave them.
When
asked about the amount of money that they were willing to spend on their
babies, two of the respondent (the single mother and the stay home grandmother)
were concerned about the global financial conditions that had had an adverse
effect on their financial capabilities. There were also concerns that they
would be much wiling to use the service if they were assured that they would
get quality for their money. This included how they would be treated by the
staff and the time that they will spend in the queues will determine whether
they will consider coming to the park. The other two respondents were concerned
about the experiences that they will get at the park and this would form the
basis of whether they would visit the park again. Since most of the parents who
had children below five years were in some form of employment, they also raised
concerns as to the opening and closing hours of the facility. Since the charges
for the access to the facility is charged on per day basis, the target people
wanted to have the maximum time at the facility. The customers’ traffic
patterns were also of a great concern since most of them could only get the
time to take their children out on weekends and after they live their job
stations. The quality of the service should be on that will ensure satisfaction
of the customer and thus ensure repeat customers. Due to the concerns raised,
the park must engage in cost cutting activities and then passing on the
benefits to the consumers for instance they can engage in shorter opening hours
during the off-peak times (O’Connor, pp. 132-133).
The
target consumers also raised issues concerning their values, traditions which
were part of their cultures. Most cultures have different definitions of fun
which are shaped by the values and the traditions that the people hold. The new
product will require that the children are accompanied by their parents thus
the need for the comfort of the accompanying parent should of uttermost
importance. Culture determines what a person wears and their general view of
the different genders and their roles. The needs of the different customers’
should be catered for instance the Muslim woman had reservations about the
privacy of the park. The response of the organization can come in the form of
special staffing for some selected day of the week when the people who are keen
about how they appear to the public can come and enjoy themselves without any
worries in the company of the people whom they will not be ashamed to dress in
the Bikinis around. The park can allocate selected women only days so that they
can cater for the particular group of customer whose culture and beliefs
restrict their public dress code. Only when services that adheres to the
culture of an individual is offered will they be free to consume the product (Alam
& Sayuti, pp. 8-10)
Those
interviewed also agreed unanimously that their consumption of a good is
informed by the attitude they form the first time they visited the facility. One
respondent indicated that they had a very good experience when they used the Go
karts and that they would be very glad to use the services of the park again.
The only reservation that he indicated was that he was not allowed to enjoy the
service with their child due to height restrictions imposed by the park codes
of operations. The introduction of games for the children that will offer fun
for the whole family was of a very significant nature to the expansion of the
park activities. The target consumers’
were had a great need to take their children out to go and enjoy the water
games that which was being offered. Due to the high motivation levels among the
parents, the park should be able to serve a large number of children as well as
the adults who accompany them as most of the visits to the park were likely to
degenerate into family affairs. The perception of the consumer about the
products was fairly good as most of them knew what the new product that they
were being offered was about and how they were going to benefit from it (Srivastava,
pp.340-352).
Conclusion and recommendations
Recommendation
Funfields
Park is in apposition to offer the new product as they already have other
products which are going to be complemented by the arrival of the “Wacky
Waters” which will be a product exclusively targeting the young children under
five years old. The young children were not able to access the other products
due to the height restrictions that are imposed on most of the fun activities
at the park. The arrival of Wacky Waters which is currently being built in the
United States will lead to an increase in visits by families which
traditionally did not come due to limited fun activities for some members of
the family (O'Connor & Prasad, pp. 67-107). For the product to be better
utilized by the target population, an aggressive marketing campaign should be held
to inform the consumers about the fun activities brought about by the
introduction of the product. Due to the huge competition levels in the
provision of fun services for the residents of the Victorian area, the company
must embark in a marketing campaign that will differentiate them from the rest
of the of the competitors, managing crises that they may face for instance bad
publicity and other changes that may occur in the operation environment
The
park will engage in a marketing strategy modeled under the four (4) Ps of
marketing. First, the prices that the park will charge for the fun should be in
line with the financial capabilities of the consumers. The prices will be
reviewed over the time of operations to resonate with the realities that the
customers face in their daily lives for instance discounts can be used to
encourage the consumers to visit the park more. Secondly, the product that the
firm offers to the consumers should be of high quality to ensure value to the
consumer. The service that the park will offer is unique in the market thus it
will serve the customer needs to the fullest. The features and other services
that the product comes with will determine whether the product will be bought
by the consumers. After an individual has made payment to access the facility,
they will not only enjoy the services offered by the Wacky Waters section, but
will also be able to enjoy all the other services offered as long as they are
above the minimum height or age that is needed for the access. The right
product will ensure that there are no losses which will arise from non-use or
under-usage of the facility (Gordon, pp. 82-99).
Since
there will be no shift in place, the new product will ride on the acceptance of
the consumer of the establishment. The easy of access to the facility will
ensure that the customers and fun lovers can plan their time well and enjoy the
services offered. The final P, promotion, is very important for the park since
many consumers do not have the information about the new product. Promotion
helps in informing the consumers about the products that they offer and how it
will satisfy their needs. This is the point where the park will state their
policies concerning the environment, how they will deal with the diversity of
the customers so that they will feel appreciated. The promotional activities
should be targeted at the young families who have children under the age of
five years with a clear message of the fun activities available for them. Mid
to late week adverts on the radio have been effective at reaching the
customers. Fliers have also been successful at informing the consumer of when
the services are available and the charges (Gordon, pp. 82-99).
Conclusion
The current economic climate has
brought some problems to the consumer industry, but this can not prevent people
from having fun. In Victoria area people visit water parks as a past time and
thus the Funfields should engage in act ivies that will attract customers to
the facility. Programs such as loyalty programs, special treatment of all the
customers and considerations of the customer’s cultures will help in the
acceptance and continued use of the product. The policy of the park should also
be that of efficient use of water thus tapping onto the segment of customers who
are environmental conscious.
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