small vs large grands

[V T]

Hi Stephen,

I think you will have to divide customers into "market
segments" in order to get a clear picture.  I don't
think there is a single average customer who
represents the entire small grand market.  Here are
well known examples:

1.  Small living quarters, customer is sincere about
learning how to play but has an aversion to the look
of verticals.

2.  The piano is not intended for playing at all, it's
just a decoration.  It doesn't matter if it has a
soundboard.  The customer is measuring the lid size to
determine how many objects will fit on top.

3.  Child is starting piano lessons, mom would like to
decorate the house.  Why not combine the elegant
appearance of a grand piano with the child's needs? 
In the process, it is discovered that grand pianos
unfortunately take up room.  Hence the glossy 4'10"
model.

4.  For those with more money but less than all
consuming love for pianos, size may be the main issue.
 People in this category may want "only the best" in
their quarters.  They will likely buy a S&S Model "S".
 Here, I am thinking of a person in a large city,
living in a smallish but expensive apartment.

I don't think that the majority of buyers think of
loudness when making their decision.  Some gray market
pianos have the quiet play feature which for some
reason never became popular in the U.S.

So, to answer your question:

For most customers the combination of lower cost and
less space requirement will be the decision maker. 
Most households have more than one decision maker. 
Unless everyone agrees that a concert grand is a "must
have", you can expect the pianist to demand the
largest piano they can stuff into the room, while the
non-player in the household may try to minimize the
foot print and expense.  I know of some instances
where the spouse didn't care for a large piano because
it took up too much living room space.

You can get a fairly accurate picture about this by
estimating the sales figures for the various quality
grades of small pianos.  Take some examples:

1. How many Chinese 5' grands are sold, and at what
average price.
2. How many small Yamaha and Kawai pianos are sold,
what is the average price.
3. How many high priced tiny grands are sold.

The sales figures for each category may tell the
story.

Vladan


================
Stephen wrote:

Why do consumers buy a small grand instead of a large
grand?

Two obvious reasons:

	1. cheaper
	2. more suited to domestic conditions because
		(a) smaller footprint and/or
		(b) not as loud

but it's not clear which of these is the driver, and
whether 
different reasons apply to different classes of
consumer.

I'll pose a hypothetical question and short circuit
reason #1: 
suppose all grands of a particular famous make sold
for the same 
amount. Would you expect reason #2 to still drive
consumers to the 
smaller grands, and if so is it (a) and (b) that kicks
in? or would 
you expect most consumers to go for the big grands and
somehow make 
them work in their domestic circumstances?

Stephen
-- 
Dr Stephen Birkett


		
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