12A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

Just to refresh everyone's memory, the product I am focusing on is Canine Condiments. Canine Condiments is a line of sauces made for dogs, almost as a gravy for their food. This product would help underweight dogs gain weight/develop an appetite and help older dogs taste their food better and eat more frequently.

1) The market segment I chose to focus on is people with elderly dogs.

2) From networking with friends, I was able to identify three people to interview who fit my identified segment:

• Interview 1: I will be interviewing Allie Perkner, a 21 year-old college student who has a 14 year old Australian shepherd
• Interview 2: I will be interviewing Bernard Neret, a college graduate who is responsible for his family's 14 year-old schnauzer
• Interview 3: I will be interviewing Tara Berry, the owner of a local pizza shop who has a 12 year old lab, who is currently in very bad shape. 

3) Need awareness:

• Interview 1
• When did you first notice a change in your dog's appetite/ eating patterns?
• "I'm not sure of the exact date, but when Tilly was probably around 12 she stopped eating as much as she used to. Around the same time her agility began to go, my family and I noticed he go from eating two full meals a day to one meal a day, and now she just grazes and has trouble finishing one full bowl."
• How often and in what fashion is the changed patterns brought to your attention?
• "Now, it is a daily battle I have with Tilly, so this issue is brought to my attention all the time. I notice the issue whenever I put food in her bowl and she will sniff it, and then walk away."
• Where do you notice this issue when it arises? 
• "Typically I am at the home when she does not eat. If I'm not home, then I am usually at my parents' house."
• Interview 2
• When did you first notice a change in your dog's appetite/ eating patterns?
• "Duke never has been a huge eater; he used to be pretty dainty with food, but at the same time he would still finish his meals. Duke started to not finish his food probably about two summers ago, maybe a little more than that. We switched him to wet food at that point and he eventually began to not like that too much either, but he still will eat it if we mix some deli meat in it."
• How often and in what fashion is the changed patterns brought to your attention?
• "I notice the irregular eating at least a few times a week. It is brought to my attention because I will put his food down, go do something around the house or go somewhere, come back and the food is still sitting there."
• Where do you notice this issue when it arises? 
• "As I mentioned before, I notice it at the house. Occasionally I'll notice it if we go to the vet or something and he doesn't have any interest in treats."
• Interview 3
• When did you first notice a change in your dog's appetite/ eating patterns?
• "I know this sounds terrible but I honestly didn't notice the eating was an issue until I began to see his ribs and bones popping out of his skin. Having three dogs, I am sure one of the other dogs was eating Logan's food, so I assumed that he had been eating it. When I saw how skinny he was getting, I payed closer attention to it and turns out he just isn't eating! This could be a health thing because of his cancer or the fact he is just getting too old."
• How often and in what fashion is the changed patterns brought to your attention?
• "Well now I notice it everyday, I know we're going to have to put him down soon and seeing him not eat just reminds me. I notice because we began feeding him in our bedroom, away from the other dogs, and he just lays there instead of eating."
• Where do you notice this issue when it arises? 
• "Like I said, I notice it at the house; basically whenever the kids or I am spending time with him."

4) Information search:

• Interview 1
• When you first became aware of this problem, what was the first thing you did to find a solution?
• "The very first thing I did was bring it up to my parents; they suggested I buy her some ground beef and cook it up, and mix it in her food so that she gets some calories in her. I quickly made a vet appointment for Tilly so I could get a professional opinion."
• What sources of information did you seek out/look for?
• "I was looking for someone who was credible, so I went to the vet. I have had some issues with my vet in the past, so I also went to some forums online written by credible people for advice moving forward, because Tilly is my first dog."
• What did your Google searches look like?
• "I googled phrases like: my dog stopped eating; 12 year old dog eating; elderly dog care"
• Who did you talk to for advice?
• I talked to my vet, parents, and friends who had dogs. A lot of people my age have younger dogs, and I am the minority with an older dog, so I did not find much information from them."
• Interview 2
• When you first became aware of this problem, what was the first thing you did to find a solution?
• "The first thing I did was try Duke on a different brand of food. I thought maybe switching to a wet food would make him feel encouraged to eat more regular. It worked for a little, but soon he got bored of the new food."
• What sources of information did you seek out/look for?
• "I utilized the internet for a potential solution, as most would do in today's day and age. I also asked my parents, as they have had a few dogs before Duke and wanted to see if this was normal or not."
• What did your Google searches look like?
• "Dog starting to eat less, help dog is not eating, how does age affect appetite in dogs."
• Who did you talk to for advice?
• "I went to my parents. I was going to talk to my vet, but my parents informed me that this is normal for dogs to loose appetite with age." 
• Interview 3
• When you first became aware of this problem, what was the first thing you did to find a solution?
• "Well when I first noticed the weight Logan had lost, I immediately had to go to the vet because I was so shocked. After we learned the Logan had cancer, I began to actually cook for him; chicken breast and rice."
• What sources of information did you seek out/look for?
• "I went to the vet and the internet. I was just looking for someone who had had to deal with something similar so I could get their advice."
• What did your Google searches look like?
• "I searched stuff like: dog sudden weight loss, how to make older dog gain weight, labs, diet, and aging, and cancer and diet for dogs."
• Who did you talk to for advice?
• "I mainly kept in close contact with the vet. I also got advice from my girlfriends, because they have been through similar stuff."

5) From the interviews I was able to gather some information. First off, I noticed that it is common for people to seek out information from their veterinarian when they notice changes in their dog's eating pattern. This brings me to believe it would be beneficial to run studies involving veterinarians and to potentially sell Canine Condiments in line with vet offices. I also learned that google is a common avenue for people to reach out to when trying to find a solution, with commonly searched words among the people I interviewed. It also seems as though the people I interviewed were not educated on what happens to dogs and their appetite as they age. Finally, I noticed people tend to change their pet's diet all together when they noticed their dog was not eating, rather than seek out additives for their food.

6) Based on the information I gathered from the interviews conducted, I would describe this segment as very aware of the need at hand. Each person interviewed explained that they are and have been aware of the issue for a bit of time, and they are reminded of it frequently. In terms of information search, I think this segment could reach out to other outlets, like pet stores, to get information. Also, they seem to all be online, which could open an opportunity to potentially sell direct to consumer, on our company's website. Overall, this segment is aware of the need, but it seems they could have an easier time in the information search if there was a direct solution for their problem, rather than relying on trial and error.