Khaled Hashem
Market Research & Market Readiness Project for Student Services Platform ('Shanta')
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The Client & The Challenge
Undergraduate students in Saudi universities face recurring financial burdens purchasing textbooks and study notes for a single academic semester. Due to the absence of a unified, trusted platform for peer-to-peer (C2C) academic exchange, interactions remain fragmented across unorganized channels (WhatsApp, Telegram, Haraj) or local printing shops.
The second-hand textbook and student services market suffers from low general trust between unfamiliar individuals (mean general trust of 3.02 out of 5), alongside a lack of empirical field data regarding student feature priorities and ad message effectiveness prior to actual launch.
Research & Discovery
Technology Acceptance (TAM)
4.02 / 5.00 (High Acceptance Level)
Trust in Protection Mechanisms
4.18 / 5.00 for Peer Rating System
Top Priority Feature
Student Discounts & Offers (Rank 1.98)
Prior Brand Awareness
93.3% Unaware of Predecessor Apps
Project Overview
This applied field market research project falls under the framework of pre-launch studies, designed to explore market opportunities for establishing and developing a unified digital student services platform branded as “Shanta” (Arabic for Bag/Backpack). The primary objective was to evaluate behavioral readiness and adoption willingness among undergraduate students in Riyadh.
The research addresses the operational and marketing fragmentation observed in the unorganized consumer-to-consumer (C2C) academic exchange market. It evaluates technology acceptance hypotheses, C2C trust levels, and the cognitive effectiveness of two alternative ad message framing variations, delivering an empirical data foundation to guide Go-to-Market (GTM) decisions.
Methodology & Field Analysis
1. Research Design & Data Collection Instrument
The study adopted a Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design, conducted in two consecutive phases:
- Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Phase (A/B Testing): An online questionnaire incorporating a message manipulation experiment between two independent groups (Version A: Core message focusing on textbooks and notes; Version B: Expanded message including student discounts and devices), followed by closed-ended items measured on a 5-point Likert scale.
- Qualitative Explanatory Phase: A thematic analysis based on Braun & Clarke’s framework applied to open-ended response data and a semi-structured interview to interpret quantitative variances.
2. Sample Characteristics
The preliminary field sample consisted of n = 45 undergraduate students in Riyadh, concentrated primarily at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (75.6%), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (20.0%), and other public universities in Riyadh (4.4%). Females represented 66.7% of respondents, while males accounted for 33.3%.
| Demographic / Behavioral Variable | Category | Frequency (n) | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Female | 30 | 66.7% |
| Gender | Male | 15 | 33.3% |
| University | Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University | 34 | 75.6% |
| University | Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University | 9 | 20.0% |
| University | Other Public University in Riyadh | 2 | 4.4% |
| Prior C2C Exchange Experience | Yes (Has bought or sold second-hand items) | 26 | 57.8% |
| Prior C2C Exchange Experience | No | 19 | 42.2% |
| Awareness of Predecessor App (“Ketabi Lak”) | First time hearing about it | 42 | 93.3% |
| Awareness of Predecessor App (“Ketabi Lak”) | Heard of it / Used it previously | 3 | 6.7% |
3. Inferential Statistical Analysis (TAM Model & C2C Trust)
The overall measurement scale demonstrated high internal consistency, yielding an overall Cronbach’s alpha of α = 0.955.
- Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): The overall TAM construct recorded a high mean score of 4.02 / 5.00 (SD = 1.19, α = 0.972). Sub-dimensions yielded:
- Perceived Usefulness: 4.09 / 5.00 (Saving time and effort).
- Perceived Ease of Use: 4.02 / 5.00.
- Perceived Financial Savings: 3.96 / 5.00.
- C2C Trust Construct: Recorded an overall mean of 3.70 / 5.00 (α = 0.693), revealing a notable variance between general peer trust and system-backed trust:
- Trust in Peer Rating System: 4.18 / 5.00 (SD = 1.15).
- Trust in ISBN Edition Verification: 3.89 / 5.00 (SD = 1.28).
- General Trust in Dealing with Unfamiliar Individuals: 3.02 / 5.00 (SD = 1.14).
4. Qualitative Thematic Analysis
Thematic analysis of open-ended survey entries and interview transcripts revealed four primary pain points currently experienced by students:
- Lack of Trust and Credibility (7 mentions): Concerns regarding fraud or receiving damaged/non-matching materials.
- Absence of Standardized Pricing (4 mentions): Arbitrary and inflated pricing for used items.
- Ambiguity of Item Condition (4 mentions): Undisclosed wear, missing pages, or excessive highlighting.
- Coordination and Communication Friction (3 mentions): Time lost arranging meetups and communication delays.
Market Research Findings
1. Feature Priority Ranking
Relative feature priorities were evaluated by mean rank (1 = Most Important), yielding the following results:
| Rank | Potential Feature | Statistical Mean Rank | Standard Deviation (SD) | Priority Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exclusive Student Discounts & Offers | 1.98 | 1.20 | Top Priority |
| 2 | Discounts on New Academic Devices | 2.11 | 1.30 | High Priority |
| 3 | Second-hand Textbook Marketplace | 2.18 | 1.35 | Core Utility |
| 4 | Student Summaries & Digital Notes Bank | 2.42 | 1.27 | Moderate Priority |
| 5 | Used Academic Devices Marketplace | 2.71 | 1.41 | Deferred to Phase 2 |
Additionally, 53.3% of respondents stated that adding value-added services and discounts increases their inclination to download the app, whereas 20.0% felt that excessive features might distract from its core utility.
2. Pre-Launch Ad Message Testing (A/B Test Results)
While differences between Version A and Version B did not reach conventional statistical significance at α = 0.05 due to exploratory sample size constraints (t(43) = -1.285, p = .206, U = 192.0), Version B (Expanded Message) exhibited a consistent descriptive advantage with a small-to-medium effect size (d = -0.384):
- Ad Message Perception Score: 4.13 for Version B vs. 3.69 for Version A.
- Download Intent Post-Exposure: 4.00 for Version B vs. 3.58 for Version A (p = .089).
3. Media Channel Preferences
TikTok emerged as the primary platform followed by students for app advertisements (37.8%), followed by Twitter/X (22.2%), Instagram (15.6%), and Snapchat (4.4%).
Strategic Recommendations Derived from Research
- Reposition as a Comprehensive Academic Trust Platform: Position “Shanta” not merely as a textbook reseller, but as an essential student companion combining verified C2C exchange, local discounts, and daily tools.
- Defer Used Devices Marketplace: Postpone second-hand devices from Phase 1 due to lowest priority ranking (2.71) and heightened technical verification risks.
- Develop Core Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Close the trust gap by enforcing ISBN edition matching, mutual peer ratings, university email authentication, and automated benchmark pricing guidelines.
Evaluation & Final Results
Download Research Document
PDF
Full Market Research & Market Readiness Report (PDF)
Includes detailed statistical output tables, hypothesis test outputs (Mann-Whitney U & t-tests), item reliability coefficients, and qualitative interview transcripts.