1525-0012-0188 Justification Inactive Catalog Purchases Qualitative Research - Interviews

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1525-0012-0188

United States Mint

Qualitative inactive catalog purchasers research (In Depth Interviews)

1/2/2014

Purpose of the Research

The purpose of the research is to collect information from United States Mint inactive customers to understand why they made their most recent purchase. The results from this research will be used to improve future communications with inactive customers which will help us turn more inactive customers into active customers.

Executive Order No. 12862 (September 1993), titled “Setting Customer Service Standards,” established a mandate for the government to improve and adhere to best practices when providing customer service directly to the American people such as surveys of customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing services (Section 1b). The United States Mint continuously strives, as part of its mission, to provide the highest quality service to the American people. To effectively accomplish these goals, it is crucial for the United States Mint to ensure that our communication strategy aligns with consumer preferences and expectations. To that end, these interviews will enable the United States Mint to reach our mission of effectively serving the numismatic community.

There would be no direct consequences to federal program or policy activities if this collection is not conducted other than the United States Mint’s reduced ability to offer collectible coin products for sale that customers are interested in or service that does not meet customer standards.

Qualitative Research Topic Outline

The topics planned for discussion are:

1. Past purchase behavior – most recent purchase description followed by information on experiences with U.S. Mint prior to this most recent purchase

2. Reasons stopped purchasing

3. Reasons for most recent purchase since they had been inactive for 2 years

4. Catalog feedback – likes/dislikes, did it prompt them to make this purchase

Sample Design and Methodology

A total of 20 one-on-one telephone-depth interviews will be conducted with customers who received the holiday catalog.

This methodology was chosen because one-on-one interviews will allow us to understand each individual’s reason for purchasing from the holiday catalog.

Customers will be recruited over the phone using the screening forms that we developed to ensure they meet the qualifications we are seeking. Customer names and phone numbers will come from United States Mint customer records.

 

Methods to Maximize Response Rates

Based on previous qualitative research we have completed, we expect one out of every ten customers contacted will agree to participate in the study. A monetary incentive will be offered. This is a common industry practice.

Estimate of the Burden Hours

The collection of information will include completion of 20 one-on-one in-depth interviews, each lasting about 20 minutes. Therefore, the total estimated burden hours for this collection are:

	Qualitative Inactive Catalog Purchasers Research
All respondents	20
Average Interview Minutes	20
Total estimated burden	6 2/3 hours