Consumer Behavior Assignment - Personal Essay

Assignment #2 Motivation and Needs

2011313431 GBA Yun-Young,Kim (김윤영)

I interviewed a person who I already know well. She has done laser hair removal. She is female, 24 years old, and university student. The interview was done in April 1, and it took about 1 hour. First, I explained what laser hair removal is. (wasn’t necessary for her) I showed her a type of ads from a famous cosmetic surgery. In addition, I asked several questions for laser hair removal. I will give some description of the interview in the next paragraph.

a. She answered to me that she was mostly motivated by her friends. After she entered the university, some friends of hers talked to her about laser hair removal. She said, “First, I already know about laser hair removal from searching that in internet when I was 15. Even though I have known what it is, I did not do that because I did not feel any needs for that. However, after my college friends recommend that to me, my thought totally changed at that time.” It seems that many female university students usually share some information about beauty, cosmetic, etc. Also, she felt some needs for that surgery after she was told about friend’s recommendation. She thought that after the surgery done, she does not need to take care of any hair on her body. (in this case, not whole body, especially armpit) This service might fulfill several needs for comfortability, and friend’s recommendation. Moreover, her friends could get some discount if she took her friends to the hospital together. This promotion was only available for a week, so she and her friends should do that together. In this case, financial need was also valid. The risk of it was never known by her and her friends right before they utilized the surgery. She said, “We think that laser hair removal was invented for a long time ago, so it is definitely not harmful. After we decided to do that, we could hear several risks from doctor.” The risks are about their skin condition. I think that risks are quite dangerous, but she doesn’t. The probability of side effects was very low, so they did that. The hospital can reduce that risks by promoting their services by blogging. She said that the blog is the most believable method while they are searching some information. In addition, the discount for the surgery is also available. In her case, the hospital gave some discount for her friends who came with her peers together. From that point of view, she is entirely involved in making the decision like whether she go to that hospital or not.