information; however, it might lead to unusable information. (O’Gorman & MacIn-tosh, 2014.)
Like in surveys, the target group for interviews was the same. All of them were handled online due to different geographical locations. Data collection was made mainly by using Skype and email. The author had made 10 questions which all were based on the theoretical framework presented in section 2. Because it was important to understand where customers come from and what affects their pur-chase decisions, most of those 10 questions were concerning the pre-purpur-chase stage of customer journey. These questions were sent to fifteen individuals, but the author received 8 responses. Like with surveys, there were some respond-ents who did not belong to the target group, but they were not disregarded.
There were some limitations with the interviews as well. For instance, with semi-constructive interviews, researchers might affect answers with prejudice. These can be unintentional or intentional as well as verbal or non-verbal. Respondents could also affect their own responses due to various reasons. (Lewis et al. 2019, 447-448.) As most of the interviews were done in text form, respondents had more time to think about their answers. This could have decreased spontaneity of responses and led interviewees to reply how they think the author wanted them to reply. Language barrier could have been another reason why not all respond-ents did not reply. Cultural differences can also become a restraint for interview-ees to reply. Some individuals might have seen interview questions too direct and personal.
from existing customers. Answers gave some understanding about the current situation with customer journey as well as if customers have been satisfied with Backstage Rock Shop. Second section analyzed responses from customers who have not yet purchased from the commissioner’s webstore. Third part of this chapter was about analyzing interview responses before wrapping up the whole section in conclusion.
6.4.1 Survey observations
Altogether, both surveys received 65 responses. Age distribution was from 19-years-old to 66-19-years-old. This means 28 respondents should have been disre-garded because they did not belong to the target group. As already discussed before, the author decided to include all answers to increase the amount of data.
Otherwise, it would have been challenging to map the current situation of re-spondents.
The author asked respondents what the preferred shopping channels are. Out of all replies, 28 people informed they prefer to shop online. In addition, 31 respond-ents informed they use both offline and online channels while purchasing goods.
Majority of respondents informed they shop online about once or twice a month.
Second most popular options were once a week which could indicate some of these individuals could order for instance groceries online as well. Unfortunately, there were no questions about what these respondents usually purchase from webstores.
Majority respondents start their research by using different internet search en-gines. This will help them to gather more information about the wanted product and a company itself. Second most popular reply is recommendations from peers.
As it has been seen earlier, consumers will consult others before making their
purchase decisions. Most of them prefer to ask them from individuals they know as then it will be seen as more trustworthy compared to anonymous feedback.
One of the reasons could be, they might not get any benefits while giving their opinions. On the other hand, companies might give discount codes to individuals who give feedback through their website. Nevertheless, it is obvious how cus-tomer reviews and feedback was the third most popular answer while doing initial research before a purchase.
Prices and delivery costs were important to respondents while they were making their purchase decisions. It seems like these individuals do not care if they need to wait for their products a little longer if expenses are low. As risk-aversion in a B2C context is important, customers want to have the best value from their money. This is one of the reasons why consumers tend to do a lot more research when needed products are expensive. Thus, high-involvement products need longer decision times than low-involvement products which could be bought daily without too much preparation.
Even though consumers have informed they search customer feedback and re-views, responding individuals informed they do not typically give feedback them-selves. However, if they do give feedback, it is for the company itself and to other customers to help them to make their purchase decision. When current custom-ers were asked if they would recommend Backstage Rock Shop to othcustom-ers, the majority would be promoting them. Their NPS score was 59 out of 100. However, there were only two individuals who were not satisfied with the commissioner.
Thus, the company’s score could be elevated with small changes which could be based on the author's recommendations.
6.4.2 Interview observations
Eight individuals out of fifteen replied to interview questions. Target group was the same as with surveys but in the end, the author could not disregard any re-spondents due to low response rate. Majority of interviewees responded in text and a couple of them agreed to have a Skype meeting. There were some varia-tions on how detailed written replies were. Some of them gave a lot of different examples, others replied with one or two words.
Like with survey respondents, prices were important to them. Majority informed they tend to do research online especially with technological goods. When the price gets higher, they feel more uncertain and want to find more alternatives.
Amazon was the most popular channel where respondents try to find products as well as discounts. Also, it seems like customers like to use companies they know well, and the purchase process is simple. Using Amazon is convenient for them as they tend to do online shopping due to its usefulness. Majority interviewees liked web stores where they can create an account which will automatically re-member delivery addresses and other preferences while ordering. Still, when asked, many respondents informed they tend to buy band merchandise from a concert as a spontaneous purchase rather than using time for research.
Interviewees gave some insight into how German customers differ from other European consumers. It seems like they are quality oriented which is an important part of research. German customers also value good customer service with a data driven atmosphere. Facts need to be clear, and the schedule should be fol-lowed as promised. They also value politeness and try not to be rude towards customer service agents. Customers prefer to use German while communicating with companies as it feels most comfortable to them.