Figuring out buyer behavior No. 2

These interviews help shed some light on what a buyer is going through when they are making the decision to a litter box and after they start using it. I interviewed three people at work that I don’t normally talk to. From these interviews, I learned that some people don’t think there are many alternatives when purchasing a litter box. The differences that kept coming up were size, whether or not it had a lid, and if it was “self-cleaning”. It seemed that because of this, my interviewees were most concerned with the price first. After they found what was in their price range, they would shop around for quality. It didn’t seem like there was a big emphasis on quality because I got the impression, they felt like most litter boxes are in the same range from a quality standpoint. Those that considered the “self-cleaning” ones were considering the price, but more importantly, effectiveness and size. They wanted to make sure that paying more would pay off in the long run. Another component of the buying process that came up was maintenance. I found that these buyers often factoring in how much litter would cost, how often it would have to be replaced, and what other costs were associated such as bags, additional odor defense, disposal tools, etc.

The interviews also helped me discover some insightful information on where/how people buy litter boxes and how they come to the decision. I found that the interviewees were more likely to go to the pet store than purchase online. This seemed to be a result of having to go to the pet store anyway for other needs. I think that after the initial purchase they were more likely to go back and shop online for replacements or something new. Chantel, one of the interviewees, told me that she buys all of her litter and maintenance supplies online although her initial purchases were made in person at the store.

The post-purchase evaluation was interesting. It seemed like most feelings about this were mixed. Sometimes the interviewees would seem to be leaning towards being content with the product but would also tell horror stories about times it maybe didn’t work properly. I got the feeling that they didn’t really think there would be a good alternative out there. At least not one worth paying more money for.

After these interviews, I feel like most people go into buying a litter not box with very low expectations. It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of shopping around or considering different products. Even post-purchase when the product they currently have may not be working very well. I think this is probably because it’s hard to find affordable options that work really well.