Final 1525-0012-0168 US Mint Quant. Consumer Research American Eagle Special Sets

UNITED STATES MINT

QUANTITATIVE CONSUMER RESEARCH – AMERICAN EAGLE SPECIAL SETS SURVEY

12/12/2011

1. Purpose of the Research

The purpose of conducting the United States Mint American Eagle Special Sets Survey is to assess customer preferences for mintage limits, household limits and the frequency for offering new American Eagle products. The results from this research study will be used to assist the brand management division in developing new products for FY 2012 and FY 2013 that more closely align with customer preferences.

II. Sample Design and Methodology

The United States Mint American Eagle Special Set Survey is designed to be web-based, with customers receiving an e-mail invitation. The targeted sample for this survey is a total of 4,050 customers.

The sample for this study will include customers who have purchased precious metal products (e.g., AE silver and gold products) from the United States Mint in the past 2 years.

3. American Eagle Special Sets Survey Design

The survey should take approximately 13 minutes to complete. Each respondent will evaluate his/her likely interest and likelihood to purchase for one special set offering which will include a frequency, a household limit, and a mintage level. Each respondent would see a different combination of attributes based on the matrix of 27 possibilities below:

Frequency	Household Limit	Mintage Limit (TBD)
One time set	1 per HH	Low
Once a year	2 per HH	Medium
Twice a year	5 per HH	High

3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates

This survey approach is designed to minimize the amount of intrusion and burden that is placed on customers. Accordingly, calls will not be made, nor will other “intrusive” measures that normally might be used to maximize response rates. We plan to send e-mail invitations to customers explaining that participation is totally voluntary. No monetary incentive will be offered.

3. Estimate of the Burden Hours

The collection of information will involve completion of the survey via the Internet with up to a maximum of 4,050 randomly selected respondents. The average survey will take approximately 13 minutes. Therefore, the total estimated burden for this survey is 878 hours.

	American Eagle Special Sets Survey
All respondents	4,050
Average Interview Minutes	13
Total estimated burden	878

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