15A- Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

As mentioned in previous posts, my product I am focusing on is Canine Condiments. Canine Condiments would be a line of nutrient-dense sauces for your dog's food. This product would aim in helping underweight dogs gain weight, elderly dogs continue interest in eating, and help picky dogs find a healthy solution.

1) Arranging the interviews: The segment I identified was individuals who have elderly/older dogs. I interviewed three people: Tracy, she has a nine year old boxer named Gator; Matt Dolan, he has an 12 year old pit mix named Jax; and Macy Howard, she has a 11 year old pit mix named Abby.
2) Alternative evaluation: I presented the interviewees with a list of alternatives to Canine Condiments and had them select their top choice for their dog and explain their thought process. The set of alternatives I had the interviewees' select from were:

• Nutri-Cal, a high calorie, dietary puppy supplement, costs between $8-$11 for a 4.25 oz. tube, can be purchased at pet supply stores or online. 
• Add gravy to their food in order to encourage the dog to eat, costs between $1-$3 for a 12 oz jar of gravy, can be purchased at any grocery store or online.
• Try a different type of dry dog food, typically costs $30-$40 for a 30 lb bag, available at pet stores, online, or grocery stores.
• Try a different type of wet dog food (or mix wet food into dry food), typically costs $25-$35 for 12 12.5 oz cans (or, $1.50-$3 per can), available at pet stores, online, or grocery stores.
• Cook for your dog (typically rice, chicken, sweet potato, beef, eggs, etc), the costs of this varies, as it depends what you prefer to cook for your dog, can find the food at grocery stores.

Interviews:

     -Tracy's pick: mixing wet dog food with dry dog food. She picked this alternative because of convenience of being able to find wet dog foods as well as price. She also mentioned how the wet food could add nutrition to her dog's food.

     -Matt's pick: Matt also picked to mix wet food with his dog's dry food. Matt picked this option because he saw the most overall value; wet dog food is not super expensive while you can easily evaluate the nutritional value of the wet food. He mentioned how he would have picked gravy, but he felt he would have been overlooking the nutritional aspect, while focusing more on the savings.

     -Macy's pick: Macy explained how she would cook for her dog. She told me how she already will cook chicken breast in her air fryer for Abby, and add it to her food. Additionally, she will occasionally add bacon bits or egg. She picked this alternative because she enjoys cooking for her dog, and she thinks it is the healthiest method. What she did not like about this option is how expensive it can get, especially with potential meat shortages.

3) How/where they buy: 

• Tracy:
• Prefers to buy online as much as she can, as she works six days a week and finds it most convenient.
• When buying online, she uses her credit card.
• She is the main decision maker in purchases.
• Matt:
• Prefers to buy in-person when possible. 
• Uses cash or debit card when purchasing for his dog.
• Matt is typically the decision maker, but his girlfriend, Ella, is also involved.
• Macy:
• Prefers to buy in-person because she likes to get out of the house and does not like to pay for shipping.
• Prefers to use debit card when buying items.
• She is the main decision maker in purchases.

4) Post purchase evaluation: The people I interviewed unanimously said that they evaluate purchases for their dog based on if their dog actually likes it and if it works for the intended purpose. They think their purchase was a bad idea when they end up wasting money because their dog does not like it or it does not work for their need. 

5) Summary: Overall, it seems people are more concerned with nutritional value and cost. When picking an alternative, the people I interviewed went with options that have been around for some time, rather than new products. Also, I found it interesting how the adult in their mid 50's decided to shop online, and the younger adults decided to shop in-person. How accessible the product is was also an important factor when deciding on an alternative. 

6) Conclusions: This segment is concerned with value and the effectiveness of the product. They all are concerned for their dog's health and want to find a healthy option to get their dog excited to eat. This segment also judges their purchase based on overall effectiveness and practicality. This segment also seems to prefer paying up-front, rather than putting on a credit card, so cost in important.