Forming an Opportunity Belief

Anyone that has a cat is familiar with the pain of dealing with a litter box. I believe there’s an opportunity to provide a product that would help with containment and disposal of the waste with minimal contact. I think that most people dread cleaning the litter, but there really isn’t an alternative when you have an indoor cat. Currently, most people use litter boxes that have to be cleaned by hand. Some products attempt to offer a solution such as sifting bags or automatic “self-cleaning” litter boxes. I would say that there is a 70% chance that this opportunity exists.

1.     Female in early twenties that lives with her boyfriend.

Do you currently have an indoor cat? If not, have you ever had a cat or had to care for one?

“Yes”

How often do/did you clean your litter box?

“I have to clean it every other day. Except for when I ask my boyfriend to and he doesn’t do it. He’s afraid of it.”

Do you consider the cleaning process easy or simple task?

 “No, because my cat misses the box sometimes.”

Do you often find yourself thinking of new ways to deal with your cat’s waste? If so, how many different products are you tried? Are you happy with the one you currently have?

“I would say I think about it every time I clean the litter box. I’ve tried two different litter boxes and three different kinds of litter. I’m somewhat happy with what I’m currently using, but I’m always on the lookout for a better alternative.”

Reflection: This is a good example of someone that is currently using a product that “solves” their problem, but they are not happy with at all. That coupled with the fact they have felt the same way about several of the products they have tried in the past is a good sign that there is an opportunity.  

2.     Male in his late twenties that lives alone.

Do you currently have an indoor cat? If not, have you ever had a cat or had to care for one?

“I have not had an indoor cat, but I have had to care for one.”

How often do/did you clean your litter box?

“I only had to clean it once or twice.”

Do you consider the cleaning process easy or simple task?

“Not at all. It was very tedious and disgusting. I love my friends, but I hope I never have to watch their cat again.”

Do you often find yourself thinking of new ways to deal with your cat’s waste? If so, how many different products are you tried? Are you happy with the one you currently have?

“I don’t have a cat, so this doesn’t apply. I do think that my friends have had the same litter box for as long as I can remember. I think they’re happy with it, but I’m not absolutely sure.”

Reflection: Not everyone has a cat. This example provides some useful information, but I’m not sure that it’s necessary reliable for this particular idea. It could be that this person just doesn’t like cats in general.

3.     Female in early twenties that lives alone.

Do you currently have an indoor cat? If not, have you ever had a cat or had to care for one?

“I do”

How often do/did you clean your litter box?

“I only have to clean it once a week”

Do you consider the cleaning process easy or simple task?

“I think it’s simple, but it’s very messy.”  

Do you often find yourself thinking of new ways to deal with your cat’s waste? If so, how many different products are you tried? Are you happy with the one you currently have?

“Not really. I’ve tried a couple different things. I feel happy with what I have. It’s better than some of the ones that I’ve used in the past.”

Reflection: I found the answer to the last question kind of interesting. They say they’re happy with the solution they currently have, but only because it’s better than the ones they’ve had in the past. I’m not sure that means it’s an ideal solution, it could just be that they don’t think there’s anything better. There could still be an opportunity.  

Summary:

I still think that there’s a huge opportunity to provide a product that helps people manage their cat’s waste. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 25.4% of American households own a cat. Based on the feedback I received, I would say that most people are probably just settling for a “solution”. It’s also a great opportunity because this product is going to require some type of maintenance and upkeep. This means there is potential for a long term or even lifetime customers.