Market Research- method and results

J

jkf96a

Well-Known Member
I sell most of the blades I make to hunting type folks over at the Texas Hunting Forum. After a few blades that didn't sell as well as I'd hoped, I hatched an idea: set up some polls to see what kind of blades THEY were looking for. The message board software they use had a poll feature, so I set up a few. Here is the poll, the questions, and the results.

I'd like to get some opinions on what kind of knives you guys prefer. Let's think about your ideal deer/hog skinning knife. What would you like it to have? I've set up several polls, some with either/or, some with check as many as apply.

Here's the incentive: Next Friday, May 7, I'll draw a random name from those who have responded to this post. Winner will recieve a 6 inch EDC made to order, a $100 value. Happy voting!

Clarification: I had in mind Overall Length, not blade length for the length poll.

Steel Type
Only one choice allowed (144 total votes)
Carbon Steel 86 (60%)
Stainless Steel 58 (40%)


Handle Material
Multiple choices allowed (178 total votes)
Wood (plain) 24 (13%)
Micarta or G10 27 (15%)
Rubber (Horse mat) 30 (17%)
Horn/Antler/Stag 62 (35%)
Wood (fancy) 35 (20%)


Design Elements
Multiple choices allowed (356 total votes)
Clip Point 24 (7%)
Drop Point 102 (29%)
Bolsters 39 (11%)
Guard 48 (13%)
Thong/Lanyard Hole 45 (13%)
Filework 56 (16%)
Mosaic Pin(s) 42 (12%)


Length
Only one choice allowed (145 total votes)
6 inches 53 (37%)
7 inches 33 (23%)
8 inches 41 (28%)
9 inches 10 (7%)
10 inches 7 (5%)
More than 10 inches 1 (1%)


Here's the link to the original poll:
http://www.texashuntingforum.com/fo.../1395146/Your_ideal_hunting_knife#Post1395146
 
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Now for the results summary. Remember, this was pitched as a deer/hog skinning knife.

Key points:
1. The results showed 60/40 Carbon over Stainless steel. This was the opposite of what I expected. Texas is a big place with a large variety of weather, and a gulf coast. I figured stainless would dominate. Further research could list specific steel types, but I don't expect that the largest percentage of hunters know the difference between the steel designations (D2 vs. ATS-34, etc.)

2. Horn/antler/stag dominated as the preferred handle material, with fancy wood in second. Not much interest by contrast in plain wood or micarta.

3. Drop point DOMINATED clip point. I expected drop to win, but not by that much. Several posters remarked that they weren't familiar with all the terms I used in this section. Filework, Guard, and Thong hole were also popular, while mosaic pins and bolsters were less preferred.

4. 88% of voters preferred a knife 8 inches or shorter.

So, in summary, if you want to sell a knife that appeals to the largest percentage of customers, a 6,7, or 8 inch carbon steel drop point with stag/antler handles, filework, and a thong hole is the way to go. If you want to make a knife for hunters and you like to keep it in inventory, go ahead and do a 10 inch 440C knife with bolsters and micarta.

This whole project cost me a small EDC that I usually sell for $100. The results are yours for free :)
 
Travis Fry said:
Any plans for a follow up?
Click to expand...

I don't plan on it, but I'd like it if some of you dogs did similar surveys in your neighborhoods to see if the results are similar in different areas of the country.

Statistically speaking, the sample size on this one is large enough to be valid. You can get statistically better preference numbers through a series of either/or questions, but they your survey has to be really long to get statistical validity. I went with multiple check boxes and a simple freqency count on the design elements, which only shows which are generally preferred, and does not show in a statistically valid way, for example, whether the customer prefers bolsters OR a guard.
 
Interesting info Jason.
Info like this helps set new parameters on sales if you listen to what is being said. I did some research too and gradually went from making king size choppers to downsized usable knives with good results.

Having unofficially polled quite a few deer hunters in my area a few years ago I found that the bow guys mostly carried large folders because of clothing issues or sheaths getting snagged on tree stands and such. They also prefered a wide and shorter blade(4" max) for control. Bolsters or none at all were prefered also for more varied grip options when cutting. Most choke up on the blade when inside a cavity or skinning so there's no need for "machete" size blades. Handle materials were varied according to individual prefference.
The few rifle or shotgun guys for the most part were partial to sheath knives in the medium to large category. (Buck General came up a few times)

Thanks for your info and "sacrifice".

Rudy
 
Seems to pretty much agree with what I've heard from hunters around here, but you have a larger sample. Cool!
 
On a similar note, I've talked to several guys who've come back from the Sandbox over the last year or two, both online and in person over a beverage. To a man, they all like tactical folders and 4-5" blade fixed knives. Bear in mind, this is only like ten people, so take it with a grain of salt.

One supply sergeant, a personal friend, told me he ordered cases of M9 bayonets and K-bars when his unit deployed, and every single one sat in the warehouse the whole time. But he could barely keep the heavy-duty folders in stock in their PX or whatever they call it now.

Another fellow from a forum remarked, "Rambo never went to war, he only went to the movies."

I'm not saying no soldier wants a big chopper, but generally it seems they have enough weight to carry around and use their knives more for utility, not for fencing with bad guys.
 
Interesting information, kinda thought what the results might have been. I think James's friend was right, Rambo never went to war, just to the movies.

Thanks for sharing,
Jim
Two of my favorite fixed blades, Matt Bailey's Halibut with my G-11 and Allen Newberry's Pocket Cutless.
halibut-g10-608_lrg.jpg

pocketcutlassbamboomat.jpg
 
Interesting poll. Another thing to consider is pricing in relation to options. If you ask which people would rather have a really high end engraved damascus peice or a swiss army knife they will probably say the high end knife. However, they will likely already own three swiss army knives. So then my question would be: Which options are they willing to pay for?
 
I would exercise caution and be sure to phrase your questions in the direction geared for your business. You can get stung very easily.

For example, The Ford Motor Company wanted to penetrate/create a new market with a fresh design. They did the same thing, market research. They took extensive polling to find out what people liked.

At the time the answer was, dynamic styling, aggressive and distinctive trim, chrome, etc. The car they produced was an absolute disaster. You know it as The Ford Edsel.

They asked the wrong question. They asked what a client would like to see, not what they would actually buy.

If asked, I would have answered either a Countache or a Viper. I drive an F-150 truck.

Many of us have "safe queens." Those are knives we like to view and collect. But when we ask to see a client's EDC, we might be handed a Buck 110.

I own many knives in the 500 to 2,000 dollar range.

But last year my EDC was a Boker Plus G4, a wharnecliffe that cost me 13 dollars.
 
Allen and Tourist you nailed the followup issue. Yeah, they want alot of stuff, but what price structure will they tolerate to get it? The questions on the design features were designed mostly to see what's most popular, not force a choice. Even so, the drop vs. clip and the stainless vs carbon should hold up. I tried to address some of the 'safe queen' issue by describing it as a deer/hog skinning knife.
 
Be sure to let us know how you use the info and how well it works. I like the idea of using polls. Dan Koster has used them several times when designing knives and many of the people contributing to the polls seem to also be the ones buying them.
 
Excellent points gentlemen. I once started a thread on BFC, in the Wilderness subforum, asking the regulars what they wanted in a bushcrafting knife. I was a little surprised. Very few wanted fancy wood or mirror polishes, and they were very clear about how much they were willing to spend. I had thought folks would jump at stabilized burl scales; but for this particular style of knife, almost everyone said they'd prefer plain old canvas micarta. Cost was only one reason.

Of course, that's a very "niche" knife in an already specialized market, but I have a much better idea of what will sell, now that I asked.
 
I'm going to bump this to the top. Myself and two other makers have micarta clip points languishing on the THF classifieds. I forgot my own research :)
 
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