ONG YINGKAI
'Price Conscious Workaholic ' A student who buys what suits her rather than follow a style.
OBSERVATION DAY
The subject (Ong YingKai) is Meng Jit’s friend. She just finished her 'A' levels and is currently working part-time. She has no preferences for a particular brand but do consider prints as it reduces her need for accessories. She was aware that she was being observed, however the observation was to be treated like a normal activity with her friend and she had no clue of the brand Meng Jit was studying.
Wednesday, 30th January 2013
I met up with Ying Kai for a shopping trip at 7pm after she ended work. She suggested going to Marina Square as she had not visited that mall for quite some time. According to her, she usually goes to malls at Orchard Road as she can find her favourite brands such as Mango, New Look and Forever 21 there. This suggests that Ying Kai remains loyal to brands that she trusts.
At Marina Square, the first shop she walked into was Marks and Spencer. In the shop, she immediately headed towards the ‘discount’ section, where a variety of cookies and sweets were on sale. She picked up her favourite ‘milk chocolate digestive cookies’ which she commented she has loved and eaten since young. Again, this shows her tendency to make repeat purchases of her trusted brands/products. She then made a quick walk around the shop before paying for her cookies.
Next, Ying Kai decided to go into Asics to look for a new pair of sports shoes to replace her old one. When Ying Kai spotted the ‘sale’ board, she once again walked towards the section to browse through the discounted items. It is evident that Ying Kai is price-conscious, as price appears to be a priority in her purchases. Ying Kai did not find anything to her liking at the sales section, hence headed towards the regular priced items. Here, she spotted a pair of sports shoes she liked, but said that it was “beyond her budget of $100 for a pair of sports shoes”, and thus left the shop without any purchases.
A similar behavior was observed when Ying Kai entered the Zara store next. As nothing in the sales section caught her eye, she began browsing through the rest of the store. Upon seeing some clothes that she liked, she checked the price tags, only to place the clothes back on the rack as they were “expensive”. When I asked her what she defined as expensive, she replied “clothes that are not value for money”.
As she continued to explain, something that is value for money to her is not simply the price itself. For instance, a dress that costs $120 to her would not be “expensive” if she really loved the design, had great quality, or could foresee herself wearing it on many occasions. On the other hand, a dress that costs $60, while cheaper, would be considered “expensive” if the design did not suit her taste, had poor quality, or did not seem versatile to be worn frequently.
For dinner, we had Japanese cuisine at Ministry of Food. Ying Kai ordered a salmon bento that costs around $14. As a food lover, she is willing to frequent restaurants that she believes serve good and fresh food.
We parted ways at about 10pm after dinner as Ying Kai had to report to work the next day.
IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW
IWhat motivated you to go shopping today?
Chinese New Year is coming and I need to get some clothes for the occasion.
How urgent/important is it for you to get the items? Why?
It is quite urgent as I’m currently working and I don’t have much time to go shopping. Thus it would be good to get my clothes as soon as possible.
What brands/shops you considered when getting this item?
Whenever I visit shopping malls that carry my favourite brands such as Forever 21 and New Look, I will definitely check out their stores. However, today I wanted to come to Marina Square as I have not been here for a long time, which does not house my favourite brands. So the first brand that came to mind was Zara.
Why did you list these brands?
I thought of Zara because I want to wear something nice for Chinese New Year and I know that Zara has fashionable clothes.
How important are these attributes to you?
Fashionable clothes are definitely important to me. So are quality and price.
What made you enter the store/mall?
I entered because I knew that Zara has an attractive clothing line. Generally, what prompts me to enter the store is the clothes on display. If I spot a piece of clothing that I fancy as I walk pass the store, I would walk in to take a look. However, there are certain stores that I frequently walk into, as I am already familiar with the brand and I know that they carry nice clothing.
Is this always the case for you?
Yes.
What did you buy today?
I only managed to buy cookies from Marks & Spencer. I guess I did not have much time today to visit as many shops as I would like to. If I had a whole day, I would have left with more purchases!
Are you happy with your purchase?
Yes. I bought my favourite chocolate digestive cookies!
Why did you not purchase the items?
I did not purchase anything besides the cookies as I did not see anything in particular that I liked. Either that, or they were rather expensive and I did not think they were worth the buy.
