In a nationwide survey, pet owners in the United States stated that convenience, price and brand selection dominated their reasons for choosing one pet product retailer over another. Staff at the retail location and in-store services also influenced the decisions of respondents to the Packaged Facts June 2018 Survey of Pet Owners as reported in “U.S. Pet Market Focus: Walmart as Competitor.” The ability to order online carried less weight with survey respondents, however.
Pet owners’ top reasons for choosing a particular retailer
The survey included 1,191 people in the United States of age 18 and older who had purchased pet products in the past 12 months either in-store or online. Respondents were asked, “Which of the following are MOST IMPORTANT to your decision to choose one place to shop for PET PRODUCTS over another place?” Respondents were limited to 10 choices.
- Convenient location 42%
- Lower prices on pet products here than I could buy somewhere else 40%
- Prices are more competitive 39%
- Better selection/variety 29%
- Carries more of the pet brands I like 29%
- Better sales and promotions 24%
- Good price matching 20%
- More items are available when I want to buy them 19%
- Faster checkout 16%
- Better one-stop shopping for food and household products 15%
Convenience, price and selection of pet products
Three factors in the top ten related to convenience: the number one choice, convenient location, along with faster checkout and one-stop shopping.
Four responses corresponded to pricing: lower prices, competitive prices, sales/promotions and price matching.
In the top 10, three factors related to brands: better selection, more liked brands and availability of items.
