4A Forming An Opportunity Belief

1.) Beginning Point

• I believe that an opportunity exists in helping people safely receiving packages that they've ordered to their home. By packages, I mean anything that's ordered from an online site that will eventually ship to their front door. 

2.) My Belief

• The unmet need here is that often times, packages ordered from online intended to be shipped to someones front door are stolen, misplaced, or delivered but never actually delivered. Whether it's UPS or Fedex, those employees have to make a certain amount of drop-offs by a specific time so its safe to say that they are on a time crunch. This need implies to anybody who shops online and then expects their items to be delivered to them. This need has always existed, it's just becoming more prevalent in the society we live in today. Many people rather shop online than traditionally shopping in a store which has lead to significantly more packages being sent out. To meet this need now, people are going out of their way to ensure that they are home when the expected package arrives in order to immediately bring it into the house. At this point, I would say that I'm 85% sure that this opportunity exists. 

3.) The Prototypical Customer 

• In this scenario, the prototypical customer would be somebody who does a majority of their shopping online and has their items delivered to their home.  

4.) Interviews
        Person 1: 25 year-old frequent online shopper  

• I started off the interview by asking the person 'When it comes to delivering items ordered online, what comes to mind'? This person said they try to be aware as possible by constantly tracking their packages but sometimes it's tough to be home when items are delivered. They then went on to describe the worries they often have when an item says 'delivered' but they aren't home to confirm it. When I asked about the nature of the need they responded by saying it relates to consumer awareness and environment. They started becoming aware of this need when one of their packages was actually stolen and in order to receive a refund they had to go through a whole process which consisted of many phone calls to the company. The person stated that this incident happened roughly 2 years ago. Going through all those additional tasks, they stated to experience that need at all times. To ensure proper delivery, this person intentionally stays home when the package is expected to arrive but they said that they feel like it's an inconvenience and waste of time showing that they weren't really satisfied with the solution. 

        Person 2: 48 year-old frequent online shopper

• I started off this interview the same way as the prior one by asking the question 'When it comes to delivering items ordered online, what comes to mind'? This person instantly sighed and mentioned that 2 weeks ago, one of their expected packages never showed up to their home even though the online tracking status prompted it as delivered. When asked about the nature of the need they said it comes down to staying aware and not being naive. This person experiences the need most of the time since a majority of their shopping is done through the internet. When asked how long they've had this need, this person responded by saying 'for a while now'. That person then went on to speak about how the online tracking feature can be misleading and inaccurate. They came aware of this need a couple months after they started shopping online. When asked how they're coping with the need, they replied by saying that they now place a note on the door that says 'please knock when package is delivered' but even then, some delivery drivers don't grant the request. That goes to show that they aren't happy with the current solution. 

         Person 3: 29 year-old frequent online shopper 

• Once again, I started off this interview by asking the same question I did in the last two. 'When it comes to delivering items ordered online, what comes to mind'? Their response was the packages often arrive off schedule but everything else is pretty reliable for the most part. When they were describing the nature of the need, the person spoke about how demanding the job of a delivery driver is. Although they've never lost a package in delivery, they mentioned that they knew people who did. This person's significant other is a stay-at-home parent so that ensures that someone is always home whenever a package is delivered. The person is satisfied with that solution since they haven't had a missing package yet. 

5.) Reflection 

• After conducting the interviews, I learned that my opportunity definitely has some potential based on the experiences of others. I believe, a larger sample of people is needed to determine whether this problem is relevant to the majority. The most surprising thing I learned is that missing packages really frustrates people just like it frustrates me! These people expressed the level of inconvenience they had to go through which was something I was also able to relate to as well. 

7.) Summary

• In summary, I believe a good portion of my opportunity is still there since I was able to speak with people who experience this need. The next thing I should focus on would be my target audience because demographics can definitely play a part in this need. For example, if someone lives in a gated community, the chances of their package being stolen is probably slimmer than for someone who lives in an apartment complex with no central security. Thus, I do believe that my new opportunity is more accurate than when I started. When it comes to entrepreneurs adapting to the feedback of the customer, it's definitely important to take all those things into account and come up with a solution that reflects customers needs. At the end of the day, the customers are the ones who are going to buy the product or use the service so it's essential to be flexible.