Optical stores customer behavior in Bogotá, Rionegro and Fusagasugá: a pilot study

Abstract

One of the main doubts of the optic professionals is to know customers behavior, what they think, their reasons to buy, and how to satisfy their needs and expectations to make them loyal customers. The main objective of this study was to identify customer behavior characteristics in a specified sector and to identify cultural features that have influence in customer behavior when making a price quotation, a purchase or only when watching the products displayed in an optical store. Materials and <em><strong>Methods:</strong></em> a convenience sample of 96 customers in four optical stores located as follows: one in Rionegro downtown, another one in Bogotá downtown and two more in Fusagasugá down town. Surveys were asked to outside customers (buyers) after they had visited the optical store. Surveys were analyzed under three previously defined variables: to buy, to observe and to quote. The number of answers related to the defined variables was taken into account both for inside and outside customers. <em><strong>Results:</strong></em> Customers base their final decision of purchase in salesperson’ ability, originality of products (mounting branding mark) and the characteristic fashion of the place of origin. Customers in large cities (Bogotá) were mainly based on fashion characterized by their life style and living place. And customers from small cities (Fusagasugá and Rionegro) were based on optical needs.