Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2

1) Segment: The segment I chose to interview for this blog post is that of pet-owners with animals that are either very old or very sick, animals that need medicine to make them more comfortable in their final years as opposed to medicine that will cure them of their ailments.

2) Interview Summary 1: The first person I spoke with for this set of interviews was my step-dad. When it comes to picking medication for his animals there are a couple main considerations he takes into account when he's deciding between multiple options. The first and most important one is price. My step-dad and mom have a lot of animals, so minimizing price in areas like this is important to them. The second main consideration of theirs is how the medications affect the animals. By this I do not solely mean the effectiveness of the medication in treating the illness or symptoms of the illness, but also how well does it do those things while also having the most minimal effect on the animal possible. One of their animals has been on anti-seizure medications recently. He said these medications are the same ones as those prescribed to humans, but the doses have been reduced for canine consumption. These seizure medications, although effective in their treatment of the dog, also put a real damper on her personality and energy. This aspect of his decision-making has taken a larger role since then. My step-dad's purchases of said medications usually comes through either the veterinarian directly or through a local pharmacist, as some of them do carry animal medications. This second option is increasingly common for him as it tends to be much cheaper, especially for medications that were originally intended for humans. When it comes to evaluating his purchase after the fact, the above point of effect on the animal is typically the one that my step-dad looks at the most. If the medication successfully treated the symptoms as well as having a minimal negative effect on the animal, then it is considered a success. If it did have a negative effect on the animal, then he might consult the family's veterinarian for some alternative options.

3) Interview Summary 2: The second person I spoke to is the woman who succeeded my girlfriend in running the feral cat rescue operation in Tallahassee. For this woman, there are a few more factors that she considers than my step-dad does. Once again, price is a big sticking point for her. The organization is not particularly well-funded, and because of this they try to cut back in as many ways as possible so that they can put most of the donations they receive towards getting animals spayed and neutered. The effect on the animals is also a point of reference, though many of the animals she deals with are not suffering from the same sorts of serious illnesses that my step-dad is dealing with in his dog, so generally this is not as important. The third point of reference she uses in evaluating her choices is the ingredients of the medications. The organization, and this woman in particular, pride themselves on using all-natural and organic treatments for their animals, at least as much as they can for little things like mites and fleas and the like. When possible, she will go for medications that are all-natural and safe for the animals if they are accidentally given too much or if they ingest it vs something that might poison them as well as the fleas. This woman and her organization also tend to purchase their items directly from their veterinarians, thought at times they will order items online or purchase them at local stores that specialize in organic and all-natural products. The primary thing that she looks at in evaluating the purchase after the fact is the effectiveness. Given the high number of animals that her organization deals with and keeps in close proximity, the medications they use for things like fleas, mites, and colds need to be extremely effective to prevent those issues from spreading to all of the animals because quarantine can only do so much.

4) Interview Summary 3: The third person I interviewed for this post is my aunt. My aunt travels more than anyone else I know for her job, and she has three cats, so there are a few different points she looks at when comparing products. The primary point of reference she looks at is effectiveness in treating the symptoms her animals are experiencing. This effectiveness is so important because typically she is trying to treat them as quickly and safely as possible so they are feeling better by the time she next goes out of town. If this is not possible, she also looks at ease of treatment as well. When she is out of town, friends of hers will come over and feed the cats on a daily basis, but because the cats tend to be a bit skittish, it is not realistic for these friends to administer medication to them as well. In this case, she will also look for products that have a delayed release or can be applied to the skin and will work over the course of a week or more. One thing that does set her apart from the others is that price is not typically a sticking point for her when she is assessing her options. Like the others, however, she gets these medications primarily through her veterinarian. If anything she utilizes the vet more exclusively than the others do because she lives in a rural area, and it would take about three hours round trip for her to visit a larger city to shop for such items that aren't readily available online. In evaluating her purchases after the fact, the above points of ease and effectiveness are generally the things she looks to. If the medications are quick and easy, then they will probably be purchased if the issue crops up again.

5) Conclusions: Based on what I know about this segment and what I have learned from the above interviews, there are a few general points I can make about this segment's purchasing and evaluation habits. Typically, what they look for most often and with the most priority is a medication that is effective and safe. Beyond that price is generally important as well, as medications and trips to the vet can be very expensive. These purchases are typically made directly from the veterinarian, typically due to convenience, though sometimes the pricing at the veterinarian's office can lead them to shop elsewhere. Finally, the thing they look at to evaluate their purchases after the fact is most commonly the effectiveness of the product, especially its effectiveness in regards to the degree to which the medication negatively effects the animal.