7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. My Opportunity 

The opportunity that I have identified is franchising a Whidbey Coffee shop, a well-known coffee company within the Pacific Northwest. I believe this is a major opportunity to expand the variety and coffee prices available on campus for University of Florida students and faculty. Whidbey Coffee also includes specialty drinks, such as "Frozen Mochas" that are far beyond any products within Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks stores. 

2. Identified Opportunity 

The who: Coffee drinkers, University of Florida faculty, University of Florida students, Gainesville residents. 

The what: The University of Florida has sub-par and limited coffee selection. The only coffee on campus is Starbucks.

The why: This could be due to a contract with Starbucks and the University of Florida. 

3. Opportunity Hypothesis 

Testing the who: I believe everyone in my current 'who' shares this need. 

Testing the what: The only coffee on campus is Starbucks. Have previous businesses failed? Do students prefer Starbucks? Does staff prefer Starbucks? Would individuals rather walk off-campus to Dunkin' Donuts? Would individuals rather walk off-campus to small-to-medium businesses? Are individuals looking for a wider array of coffee selection? Have people ever tried frozen coffee? Do individuals prefer just iced or hot? 

Testing the why: Is there a contract with Starbucks and the University of Florida?

4. Interviews 

Dunkin' Donuts Customer #1:

• Is Dunkin' Donuts your favorite coffee shop in Gainesville? Why? 
• No, it's just cheap and I'm on this side of campus like twice a week. 
• Do you prefer Starbucks? 
• Probably, it's more consistent but it's so busy all the time, takes too long to get a drink. 
• Would you try another coffee shop if it was easily accessible on campus? 
• Probably, I guess it would depend on what's special about it. What's worth waiting in line to get when I don't know what I would for sure be getting. 
• Do you prefer iced or hot coffee? 
• Iced. Way too hot for hot coffee in Florida. Even though the libraries are often pretty cold. 
• Have you ever had a frozen coffee? If not, would you be willing to try? 
• I have not, I'd probably try it. Maybe if it didn't just have one flavor. I like caramel and snickerdoodle coffee. 
• Why do you think the University of Florida only has Starbucks facilities?
• Not sure, I guess you don't really think about it. I mean other places do I'm sure, like Chick-Fil-A maybe, but who's to say it's good? People don't go there for coffee. 
• Summary: This customer brought up an excellent point about Chick-Fil-A and other franchises actually offering coffee, but customers do not go to these locations for coffee items. I also enjoyed how this customer touched on the potential new coffee shop needing a "special" component to attract customers away from their typical preferences. It made me ponder what the 'special sauce' is in my opportunity. Lastly, when this customer said they prefer special flavors such as caramel and snickerdoodle - this could be a brilliant way to give variety to the frozen mochas. 

Dunkin' Donuts Customer #2: 

• Is Dunkin' Donuts your favorite coffee shop in Gainesville? 
• Yes, it's super close to my apartment so I'm here everyday. 
• What about Dunkin' Donuts do you enjoy? 
• I think it's just cheap, mostly consistent, and I like what I get everyday. 
• Would you try another coffee shop if it was easily accessible on campus? 
• Maybe, depending on where it is. Like I said the location for Dunkin' Donuts is the easiest and fastest option for me because I live right around the corner. I might try it, but I'm not sure if I'd be a loyal customer. 
• Do you prefer iced or hot coffee? 
• Iced. Maybe hot sometimes if it's below 60 degrees. 
• Have you ever had a frozen coffee? If not, would you be willing to try? 
• Dunkin' Donuts has a frozen mocha type of coffee, but I had it once and hated it. Not sure if frozen coffee is for me. But given that we live in Florida, I'd probably be open to try it if the reviews were good. 
• Why do you think the University of Florida only has Starbucks facilities?
• That's a good question, my best bet is that Starbucks won't let the University of Florida allow any other coffee businesses to steal their profits. 
• Summary: Location is something I had briefly considered, however; this customer made me think more about where specifically on campus we may prefer to be. Especially with the new Starbucks location within Norman Hall. I also appreciated that he mentioned the frozen mocha coffee at Dunkin' Donuts and how he didn't enjoy it - I had a similar experience when I tried it as well. 

Random Student in Plaza of the Americas: 

• Do you enjoy coffee? 
• Yes, I don't have it very often though. I don't want to become dependent on it. 
• Where's your go to coffee shop?
• I guess I would say Starbucks, since I'm rarely ever off campus. 
• Would you try another coffee shop if it was easily accessible on campus?
• Possibly. Again I'm an avid coffee drinker so it would probably be more of a social experience for me. Something to do with friends, not because I really want coffee. 
• Do you prefer iced or hot coffee? 
• Iced. I've only ever had hot coffee like once. 
• Have you ever had a frozen coffee? If not, would you be willing to try? 
• I have not, I've tried a frappucino but those are blended. I would be willing to try. 
• Summary: This was an interesting individual to interview because no previous interviewees had ever mentioned that they weren't avid coffee drinkers and that coffee was more of a social gathering. This was an important aspect for me to realize, because making an environment that people want to stay and work or relax in is just as important as having quality coffee. Some may even argue that it is more important, perhaps people would buy a coffee just to be in the space - I have certainly done that at Starbucks. 

Starbucks Customer #1: 

• Is Starbucks your favorite coffee shop in Gainesville? Why? 
• Yes, probably because it's consistent and accessible on campus. I've rarely ever had to get my order corrected. 
• Do you prefer iced or hot coffee? 
• Iced. Every time I order coffee. It's too hot to have hot coffee. 
• Have you ever had a frozen coffee? If not, would you be willing to try? 
• I'm not sure. If I have I don't remember. I don't really think Starbucks has a frozen coffee consistency. 
• Would you try another coffee shop if it was easily accessible on campus?
• Maybe, possibly. If there was a good atmosphere to hang out and do homework I'd probably give it a shot. 
• Why do you think the University of Florida only has Starbucks facilities?
• Not sure, but Starbucks does let University of Florida students become employed by Starbucks. If there was another shop on campus, would they have to let University of Florida students work as well? 
• Summary: Similar to the random student in Plaza of the Americas, the atmosphere of my potential opportunity is exceptionally important. Another aspect I hadn't considered as heavily prior to this interview. Students rely on coffee shops to not only provide good coffee, but also a location where they can feel comfortable and able to work on classwork. Moreover, I hadn't considered the inquiry on University of Florida students being employed - this could perhaps be another selling point to the University of Florida officials as well as students. 

Starbucks Customer #2:

• Is Starbucks your favorite coffee shop in Gainesville? Why? 
• I would say yes, I know plenty of people who work at Starbucks so I've been able to try a lot of samples and figure out a lot of things that I like. 
• Would you try another coffee shop if it was easily accessible on campus? 
• Honestly, probably not unless it was like the 'place to be' on campus. I'm a senior and I'm not even on campus that often for it to make a difference. 
• Have you ever had a frozen coffee? If not, would you be willing to try? 
• No I haven't. I don't think I've ever even heard of it. I'd probably try it if I didn't have to pay too much. 
• Do you prefer iced or hot coffee? 
• Definitely iced, we live in Florida. 
• Summary: This was an interesting interview to have because this customer has had a unique experience with Starbucks due to internal connections. I doubt that many people would be able to relate to this situation. However, his pricing brought up a good point in order to gain customer loyalty. Moreover, he hit on the 'place to be' on campus similarly to other interviewees. However, he meant more along the lines of the popular place to be, not customer experience and environment specifically. Marketing and branding this opportunity would be exceptionally important. 

5. Summary 

Given my interviews, there is a plethora of knowledge and opinions regarding the opportunity that I was unaware of before. Firstly, the importance of customer experience and atmosphere. Since this franchise would be on the campus of a University, customer atmosphere and seating are just as important as quality of coffee. Secondly, that many people had not tried frozen coffee before. This can be one of our unique and special qualities to sell to potential customers. They also all preferred iced coffee due to the hot weather in Florida, therefore; frozen mocha would be an easier sell. Thirdly, how customers value flavor options. This is a rather easy aspect to incorporate and can add variety in our coffee selection.

Moreover, the unique experience of Starbucks Customer #2 gave me the potential idea to incorporate coffee sample trays to enable customers to try various types of coffee - similar to a flight of beer. Lastly, to gain customer loyalty over establishments like Starbucks, given the feedback from these interviews, we could implement loyalty cards. For example, buy 10 coffees get the 11th free.