It's not often that a company fighting to retain its lead in the market designates nearly a quarter of a million dollars for a project that does not directly add to its profit sheet. However, that's exactly what Briggs & Stratton Corporation did when it commissioned the research division of the Cramer-Krasselt Co. to do an unprecedented $225,000, two-year national lawn mower buyership study.


Briggs & Stratton's decision to embark on the lawn mower study is interesting because the company produces no end products. However, as the world's leading manufacturer of small air?cooled gasoline engines, Briggs & Stratton supplies the power source for many lawn mowers built by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Murray, Snapper, Lawn Boy, Wheel Horse, Toro, and Sears Craftsman.

When James Champley, vice president-marketing research with Milwaukee-based Cramer-Krasselt, initiated the study for Briggs & Stratton, he did so with the intention of developing personality profiles of the types of people who purchase lawn mowers, while also detailing the various outlets at which these individuals make their purchase.

"With this information in hand, Briggs & Stratton can go to Sears, for instance, and tell them who buys their product and how to communicate with them," says Champley. "The study is designed to give the OEMs to which Briggs & Stratton sells engines a feel for their customers in a qualitative sense. The results will give the OEMs a psychographic profile of their customers which goes beyond simple age and income statistics."

Beyond that, Cramer-Krasselt's research is viewed by Briggs & Stratton as a valuable sales tool in that it enhances the engine manufacturer's status as an industry leader and also positions the company as a consultant to its OEMs.

The value of the research also stems greatly from the exclusivity of the information it provides, says Alison Murphy, account research manager at Cramer-Krasselt.

"Prior to our study, the information we've obtained just did not exist in the lawn and garden industry," Murphy says. "It is the most comprehensive study ever conducted on this topic."

Be that as it may, the motivation behind the research was simple as far as Briggs & Stratton is concerned: Help OEMs sell more mowers and Briggs & Stratton helps itself sell more engines.

In order to physically execute the buyership study, the Cramer-Krasselt research department recruited respondents through the Market Facts Consumer Mail Panel. In 1987, 120,000 households were screened to determine the purchase of a new walk?behind lawn mower, riding lawn mower or garden tractor over a one-year period.

Panel members who reported a mower purchase were then mailed a 12-page questionnaire covering brand of equipment purchased, specific features, outlets shopped, purchase experience, prices paid, and attitudes toward yard and garden maintenance.

A number of questions on the survey involved lawn mower purchasing attitudinal statements. Responses to the statements enabled Cramer-Krasselt to use cluster analysis to categorize segments of walk-behind mower purchasers. Four clearly defined groups emanated from the research. These groups were assigned descriptive names paralleling the overriding characteristic of each group's members.

The four were: Outlet-Oriented Conservatives, Price Fueled, Feature Fanatics and Confident Brand Buyers. Detailed analysis of how various elements affect the decision-making process of individuals shopping for a lawn mower was established from the research for each group.

Outlet-oriented conservatives

In general, the Outlet-Oriented Conservatives (OOCs) are drawn strongly to outlets where they have bought mowers before. They reduce the risk involved in the purchase of a new mower by selecting one that has a known and trusted brand name. They are often influenced by recommendations from friends and relatives who have had experience with the brands.

OOCs are non-discriminating with regard to the specific motives for buying a lawn mower. Relative to other groups, their purchases of a particular mower are not guided by any specific characteristic. This is probably because they do not seek purchase information from the broad variety of sources other segments use. They need a mower and allow themselves to be guided to the purchase by those they trust. With the exception of the importance of engine brand, there does not appear to be anything the OOCs seek in the way of specific attributes and features in a new mower.

Price fueled

As is implicit in the name, price is important to this segment. They agree very strongly that the price of a mower is its most important attribute. Furthermore, they feel they would buy any mower if the price is right. In 1987, the Price fueled segment reported spending on average $163 for a new walk-behind mower.

This is significantly less than other segments paid for their mowers. These purchasers are also more likely than other segments to report making their purchase "on sale," as nearly four out of five buy that way.

Price fueled most often make purchases because their old mower isn't working. While the selection of the mower purchased is frequently determined on the basis of price, engine brand and specific engine attributes are often the next most important considerations. Being able to purchase a mower on credit is disproportionately more important to this segment than the others, although a majority of Price fueled purchasers do pay cash. The Price fueled are also attentive to advertising. While they're in the market for a new mower, they pay very close attention to newspaper advertising. Correspondingly, Price fueled purchasers are much less likely than other segments to talk with friends, relatives, or dealers or rely on prior brand experience when selecting a new mower.

Feature fanatics

Feature fanatics firmly believe the more features on a mower, the better. They also tend to be fanatics in the way they go about purchasing a new mower, doing a lot of homework and consulting such sources as Consumer Reports.

Feature fanatics spend on average about $268 for new mowers, the second highest average reported, and are more likely to purchase a premium brand lawn mower such as Toro, Snapper, or Lawn Boy.

Feature fanatics don't ignore price, but they place a variety of other considerations ahead of price. For instance, they are more likely than other segments to seek quality and sturdy construction. They also study the aspects of the mower's design and its range of power and safety features. These people also take into account a number of criteria they feel differentiate one retailer from another. Particularly important is the reputation of the retailer and its area of specialization. Also important is knowledgeable sales help, product demonstrations and the availability of warranty service.

Finally, a characteristic that separates Feature Fanatics from other groups is their use of a variety of sources of information. They rely most heavily on dealers for information, but also turn to friends and relatives, catalogs, brochures, and both broadcast and print advertising.

Confident brand buyers

Confident brand buyers (CBBs) buy only brand name mowers and seek mowers with engine brands they know and trust. Their process of shopping for a new mower differs from other segments in that they begin establishing a list of features that they want and then use the shopping process to locate that mower.

More so than the other segments, CBBs buy a new mower in order to obtain one that is easier to use, that is perceived to do a better job and has more of different features from the mower they currently own. CBBs are less motivated than other segments to buy a mower on sale or to purchase a new mower to replace one that isn't working.

When naming the elements that contributed to their purchase decision, this segment more than any other is inclined to place price last on the list. Instead, they seek features, quality construction, perceived ease of use, the availability of service from the dealer, and the warranty from the manufacturer.

According to Champley, the biggest news coming out of the buyership study may very well be the increasing participation of women in the shopping and decision?making involved with the purchase of a lawn mower.

"If this trend holds true, it will mean significant changes in the way lawn mower manufacturers market their products," Champley says.

Armed with the information provided by the study, Judith Knight and Pat Reardon of Briggs & Stratton's marketing department are now presenting the results of the buyership study to their customers. And so far, it has been a success.

Briggs & Stratton can now help them determine:

1. Which lawn mower features are driving sales.

2. Which other brands are in their competitive set and of those, which are being considered or rejected.

3. What sources of information their purchasers used during the shopping process and, of those, which were most important.

4. Where consumers are purchasing lawn mowers and with what frequency.

Also, Briggs & Stratton can now help validate market share data their customers may have internally.

"Our customers are obviously very pleased to be able to go through the study with us," Knight says. "They're extremely enthusiastic about the results because at this time, anything they can get in the way of research is a great plus to them."