Below is the elaboration of the Cowboy case study for the 'marketing' course from the 1st year of bachelor at the UAntwerp. This assignment was part of a series of mandatory assignments and will later be used as exam questions.
1. Describe the different stages in the process of adoption for Cowboy. Which decisions of the Cowboy team
can you relate to these stages? How did they try to ensure optimal adoption of their product? Which
barriers do you see that could limit adoption?
The first step in the process of adoption is knowledge. In this stage, the consumers are becoming aware of the
product due to them coming in contact with advertisements about it. For example, when you see someone ride a
Cowboy bike, you inactively receive more info about the product. In the Netherlands, the cycling culture can
improve this step in the adoption process, because seeing a lot of people ride a bike will influence your opinion
about it.
Next, in the stage of persuasion, the consumer seeks more information about the bike. That way, he needs to be
convinced that this product is of good quality, that it will give the consumer a benefit or that it will solve his need.
Different elements can impact this, such as the opinion of your relatives on the product, reviews online …
Cowboy tries to differentiate itself from their competitors by emphasizing health functionalities and theft
prevention in combination with innovation.
In the third step, which is called the decision step, the customer is convinced that the product is good. Now the
question is whether they should try it out or not. Cowboy makes this step easier by offering a service that brings
a Cowboy bike to your home for a test ride. This service is very easy to receive and very accessible.
After the decision, the customer will frequently use the product for a certain amount of time and afterwards, he
will evaluate the product. If this evaluation has a positive outcome, the customer will become loyal and he will
keep using it. If not, they will reject the product.
If the bike needs a repair, the customer will also reflect on its decision. To reduce the risk of losing a customer,
Cowboy made a repair service that will come to your house within four days.
A barrier for the adoption process for Cowboy is that their retail strategy is almost entirely digital. This could be a
hurdle for some people, such as the elderly, who often don’t know how to work with digital products.
2. At what stage of the product life cycle would you place Cowboy’s products? Why?
I think Cowboy’s products could be placed at the beginning of the maturity stage of the product life cycle. Early
adopters are already convinced of the Cowboy bike, because there are already more than 23.000 bikes on the
road. The distribution of Cowboy is also growing and getting more intensive. With customers in 9 countries and a
store in Belgium, Cowboy already has a big platform to sell. They also have a lot of ambition to start selling in the
USA too and open up a store in the Netherlands.
Besides that, Cowboy is not only offering a basic product anymore. They are selling added services and other
extensions too, such as theft prevention, home repair service and a test ride at home. In their communication,
Cowboy stresses these things to differentiate them from competitors and most customers are already familiar
with these differences.
3. Name and describe the three levels of the product for Cowboy's offering.
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