Bit of market research

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Holding

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So I'm sitting at work right now, and having a crisis of conscience because the last few bags of dog food I've sold have all been Pedigree/Bakers/Wagg, etc. As much as I'm happy to guide people in the right direction if they ask my opinion, I tend not to say anything if they are sure they want, for example, Bakers.

Do you think there is a market there if I was to stop stocking these feeds and replace them with good quality alternatives? Or is it a bit rude to decide that because I wouldn't feed my dogs on something, I shouldn't sell it at all?

So in the interest of market research - what does everyone feed their dogs? Would you go out of your way to visit a pet shop that stocked natural/premium/holistic brands rather than the big sellers? And what other features would you like to see in pet shops? I could have scales here, so dogs can be weighed, and an individual feeding schedule worked out? I could even get a freezer and go down the raw route, although I have no idea if that would actually work.

Any thoughts/comments/ideas would be very helpful. :D
 
I feed raw- i'd like to see that available in pet shops- and not that prize choice smush - but cant see it happening- as the bulk you'd need would limit you- perhaps.....
 
As a new puppy owner I have found the world of dog foods quite an eye opener. I have been researching for a good, well priced dry food to change my Dalmatian onto. So far I am not impressed! All the ones that score more highly seem to have ingredients that contain higher pruine levels (need low purine level for dallies) or the ingredients listing is a bit vague eg vegetables rather than listing which veg, so you can't be sure exactly what you are feeding. There's a lot of stuff out there that seems to be rubbish, including the well known feed that my pup came on from his breeder, at only 2 stars on which dog food review.

Of the suppliers I have visited so far not many stock a vast range of the better foods. I guess theres a good reason for this - demand from the customer and being there on the shelf for the customer to see and demand in the first place. So a bit chicken and egg! If you don't know about a better food you are not going to ask for it.

I think you could pull in new customers with your suggestions, I for one would possibly travel a little further afield for a good supplier. However I suspect you would actual lose more customers by not stocking those well known brands that so many people feed. Price will also be an issue, especially against the internet. I think people who have bothered to research premium/natural brands will already be sourcing their food this way because lack of commonplace availability in shops. It might be a tough ride, though that's no reason not to try!
 
I feed JWB and am a bit stuck in my ways. I don't know enough to make a satisfactory analysis of all the foods available and figured if its half way pricey its better than real cheap stuff.

I'm sticking to the fact my vet thinks its ok and my dogs look good.

No I wouldn't go out my way to get holistic stuff not them I'm not interested its just I can get JWB with my horses food aswell.
 
Mine gets Wainwrights wet and dry. He seems to do really well on it.

I don't think you would be wrong to stop selling that nasty Bakers/Pedigree rubbish. They are known to cause all kinds of horrible things to dogs, so I would applaud you for not endorsing those brands. You should tell people why you have stopped selling them and point them in the direction of this forum. Or once you're finished with your research, put together a list of the better quality foods, and distribute it in the form of a leaflet. If you don't have enough room for a lot of freezers, then you could maybe set-up some kind of partnership with a raw supplier. Whereby all the orders go through you. I also like your idea of getting scales.

I have noticed that Zoo Plus does not sell Bakers, but it does stock Pedigree. :)/:( I think I read elsewhere on this forum that other pet shops have stopped stocking Bakers and Pedigree. If more shops were to stop, then Bakers and Pedigree might get the message.

If there wasn't a big Pets at Home nearby, then I most certainly would travel further to get good quality food. I wouldn't even contemplate feeding Brochan the rubbish that supermarkets sell.
 
Thanks everyone for all your input so far. It's all very useful.

You should tell people why you have stopped selling them and point them in the direction of this forum. Or once you're finished with your research, put together a list of the better quality foods, and distribute it in the form of a leaflet.
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I really like this idea. If I did stop selling them, I probably wouldn't stop immediately, but rather try and suggest to my customers currently buying those brands that they try something else. I think the Skinners stuff is a very good alternative if they want something in that price range.

However I suspect you would actual lose more customers by not stocking those well known brands that so many people feed. Price will also be an issue, especially against the internet. I think people who have bothered to research premium/natural brands will already be sourcing their food this way because lack of commonplace availability in shops. It might be a tough ride, though that's no reason not to try!
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Thanks for this. I definitely think there's the danger that people just won't want to pay for the better quality food - if your dog looks fine on a £9.99 bag of Dr. John's Silver, why pay £50 for something grain free with a high meat content? So many people don't want to make a change until there's an actual problem. But then again, at the moment I'm competing with supermarkets, so competing with the internet won't be hugely different. :rolleyes:

Another question - does anyone know of any nutrition course or similar that I could take in order to be better equipped to offer customers advice and information? I know what I'm talking about when it comes to basic issues, but more in-depth knowledge would be better.
 
I would give it a go! I used to work in an agricultural store and we started to throw away the bakers/pedigree etc and start to get a few better brands in with different price points, james wellbeloved, skinners, arden grange, fish 4 dogs etc.

When we changed a few people asked us why and it was a good opportunity to advise customers. Also it is very difficult to compete with price if you are not far away from a supermarket. Most supermarkets will stock the "popular" brands such as bakers, pedigree, winalot etc so I think it would be a good idea to stock some different brands. I go out of my way to get my dog food as ordering online, delivery etc can be a bit of a hassle for me, so I am happy to pay the odd quid more and get it there and then.
 
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While you still have some stock why not print out the ingredients lists and a couple of reviews quoted from websites. Laminate them and stick up alongside.
Do the same with Skinners field & trial, Burns alert, JWB & Fish4dogs.
When you are out of stock keep the sheets to show anyone who comes in and asks.
 
My dog is on raw so it would be good if you had a freezer for things like Natural Instinct, Prize Choice etc.

Dry foods I like include Skinners and Arden Grange. I've just started a bag of Fishmongers for training (which I believe is a cheaper version of Fish4Dogs?) which has a very high fish content and the kibble is nice and small which is good for training, I'm impressed so far.

For a sales pitch, I always like the old 'You wouldn't feed your kid McDonalds every day, so why feed your dog Bakers/Pedigree'?
 
I remember seeing either on Fb or maybe in here, a sign that a pet shop owner had put up in their shop window explaining why they wouldn't sell Bakers!
If you are offering Skinners as one of the alternatives I don't actually think it is any more expensive so hopefully you would be able to move people on to that without losing customers, though I suspect some won't be convinced that little Fluffy would be better without the pretty colours.
 
My puppy arrives in 6 weeks so I've been looking into what's best to feed him. So far I like the look of Barking Heads and it doesn't seem overly expensive. I'll be heading to a pet shop which is a couple of miles away to get it, there are several shops much closer but they don't seem to stock anything bar the Bakers type foods.
 
How about you put the star system or review of some sort of each feed you sell very clearly in front if it? That way people have choice and if they're bothered about quality they will ask you. It's confusing when puppy food at the vet is expensive but not as good as you are lead to believe! I went to my local pet shop today and although they had done bakers etc it was in the corner lol! The good stuff was everywhere and I was happy to ask what's this one like? To the owner, he had 2 huskies and a collie and was happy to chat to me about them all. I'll be going back to buy there
 
i like your idea of scales so people could weigh their dog and work out how much of each food to feed, also lots of dogs are overweight so if you had a chart giving guide weights this would be very helpful.... maybe have the good dog food close to the scales so you could tell people how much better it is than the dreaded bakers....
 
s4sugar said:
While you still have some stock why not print out the ingredients lists and a couple of reviews quoted from websites. Laminate them and stick up alongside.
Do the same with Skinners field & trial, Burns alert, JWB & Fish4dogs.
When you are out of stock keep the sheets to show anyone who comes in and asks.
Click to expand...

Love it! Mention the carcinogens in Bakers, Pedigree and Wagg, pretty sure people would switch!

In your position, you obviously don't want to preach or tell people what to buy, but you can point out the amount required per day is less than for the poor quality foods so it works out better value. Maybe do that along with an ingredients list. Price is what drives most customers, I bet.
 
I buy my dog feed from the same place as I buy my horse feed. Having not had a dog for nearly 7 years I found the the choice of dog food very confusing. I went to the shop, looked at about 20 types of dog food at varying prices and walked out without buying anything!

I came onto this forum and found a link to someones list of dog foods which had a traffic light system and selected a food I thought suitable for my dog and reasonably priced - Skinners Field and Trial Duck & Rice. Went back to the same shop and purchased. If this information had been available in the shop and/or someone knowledgeable available to guide me through the selection it would have saved me alot of time.

As a promotion you could invite sales reps in from the better feed companies and other doggy suppliers and invite pet owners to a weight and diet advice day.
 
Definately you should stop selling bakers etc, I feed the frozen tripe, from manifold valley meats when I can, or if not prize choice. Also feed Skinners but looking to change to csj in near future. Maybe give them some warning about what you will not be selling, my guess is that if you offer something similar pricing, what it is won't bother them.
 
I hated the fact that I had to buy huge bags of pricey dried food and 'hope' that my dog would eat it - why not give out a small free sample of the better quality foods to those people who are buying the cr*p and maybe a list of ingredients for both foods?
 
CSJ (champ) Red

Price (15kg): £10.75
Suggested daily amount: 300g
Daily feeding cost: 21p

Ingredients: Wheat, beef & lamb meal, maize, chicken fat, chicken liver, unmolassed beet pulp, alfalfa, salmon oil, salt, yucca schidigera

* * * * *

CSJ (No Grainer) Yellow

Price (15kg): £35
Suggested daily amount: 250g
Daily feeding cost: 58p

Ingredients: Tripe (26%), potato, poultry meal, chicken fat, duck meal, chicken liver, peas, salmon meal (4%), unmolassed beet pulp, alfalfa, carrot, full fat linseed, yeast, apple, cellulose, nettle, seaweed, mannan oligosaccharides, milk thistle, marigold, tomato, glucosamine, dandelion, celery, burdock root, devils claw root, yucca schidigera, blackcurrant, green lipped mussel (100mg/kg), kale, beetroot, rosemary.

Not a brilliant food, IMO.
 
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