Pet Product News Editorial Blog:
Friday, June 11, 2010
Influencing Consumers
By Sherri Collins
Editor, Pet Product News International
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| With 58 percent of survey respondents preferring pet product ads with coupons, how those coupons are delivered matters. The About.com CPG survey reported that 60 percent of consumers prefer in-store coupons, followed closely by 59 percent who like coupons that arrive in the mail. |
What do consumers want? It’s a question manufacturers and retailers alike ask themselves on a regular basis. The short (and obvious) answer is quality products at a fair price. The longer answer contains elements as diverse as the people companies are hoping to reach—and influence. Determining which factors play the most important roles in consumer purchase choices and how to leverage those factors into increased spending is a full-time occupation unto itself.
About.com, the content site owned by The New York Times Company, recently conducted a survey on consumer packaged goods (CPG) to discover three main things: 1) how people are shopping for CPG products and if their behaviors/attitudes have changed in the past year; 2) what people are looking for in CPG products; and 3) what kind of CPG ads appeal most to consumers. The survey broke down CPG products into four categories—groceries, personal care, household and pet—and noted “key insights” on influencers, such as price, brand loyalty and web advertising appeal.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that the survey indicated that price is not the dominant influencer in pet product purchase decisions.
While price did lead the way for 47 percent of survey respondents, 41 percent said recommendations from a vet/expert was a factor, and the same percentage cited brand preference. (Respondents could select multiple factors as influencing their purchase decisions this year as compared to last.) Organic/natural ingredients were important for 31 percent; 24 percent selected environmentally friendly products and 20 percent said recommendations from friend/family influenced their decisions.
Brand awareness also plays a role in purchasing decisions; 54 percent of respondents would continue to purchase familiar or well-established brands this year, with 32 percent of those reporting that they are less likely to try new products. Only 14 percent said they would buy a lot more store or generic brands. The reasons behind the preference for known brands include higher quality of ingredients (33 percent), safety of/trust in the products (32 percent), habit (27 percent) and emotional connections (8 percent).
Since brand is so clearly important to pet owners, it follows that 58 percent of the survey’s respondents said pet product ads with printable coupons for their preferred brands are the most appealing. However, product information, particularly ingredient listings, came in a close second at 53 percent. And, since nearly everyone loves a free sample, it stands to reason that 40 percent also liked ads that offer sample products. For all CPG product categories, funny ads were the most appealing for 60 percent of all respondents, with 65 percent of the younger crowd (18-34) preferring ads that tickled their funny bones.
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