NEWSLETTERS - Texas focus group provides customer insights

Texas focus group provides customer insights

Around a dozen rental dealers from across Texas pulled up chairs Tuesday evening to hear what real life customers and potential customers think about rent to own.

The San Antonio focus group study -- sponsored by TARA and APRO and conducted by Trenholm Research -- involved two groups and 20 respondents with varying degrees of experience with rent to own.

Attending rental dealers observed the respondents from a separate room as they were peppered with questions about their opinions of RTO, how and why they formed those opinions and, most importantly, what additional information they would need to consider using RTO.

The results of the Texas study -- and three others planned for New York, Ohio and Florida -- will be part of a first-ever professionally designed RTO marketing plan available exclusively at the APRO Convention in Little Rock this July.

"I was surprised at the negative stigma that still lingers about our industry," said Brian Clussman, a Premier Rental Purchase dealer with five stores in San Antonio. "It was very informative to see where we need to make improvements. We are definitely going to look at some of our flyers and see where we can make them more educational. We really need to be diligent about education about our transaction if we want to broaden our market."

Emphasizing no credit checks, free delivery, free service and a no obligation return policy were points Clussman said he felt could be better marketed in his advertising.

Clussman, who has been in rent to own since 1990 was also surprised at the degree to which respondents indicated they used the Internet for regular shopping research and for making payments. Clussman said making online payment options available to his customers would be a priority.

William McCrae, owner of Buzz's Lease Purchase & Sales who has eight stores (seven in Texas) said attending the focus group was an enlightening experience that he would carry back with him to his stores and beyond.

McCrae, who is also president of the Texas Association of Rental Agencies and who has worked in RTO since 1983, agreed with Clussman that educating the public about the transaction was key.

As far as the industry has come, there is still ample room to hone the message, he said.

"In as much as the industry has grown and improved in the last 30 years in where and how we do business, we have equally as much work ahead," McCrae said. "We're not at the end of the journey, we're at the beginning. We need to find ways to simplify our message and stop focusing on what the features are and talk about what the benefits are. This will definitely be part of our convention and I thank APRO and TARA for making this insight possible."

The specialized marketing plan resulting from the focus group studies will premier at the APRO Convention in Little Rock July 11-14 and will be provided for free to convention attendees.

"For those who care, you gotta be there," McCrae said.

 For more information on future focus groups, contact APRO Public Affairs Director Richard May at rmay@rtohq.org or call 800/204-2776 ext. 104.