Uncovering Drivers to Pet Food Purchases

Challenge

Understanding cat food decision making journeys to help a leading pet food brand create effective recruitment, retention and return strategies.

A leading pet food brand experienced a significant drop in sales of their premium cat food among new and existing cat owners. They needed to uncover new strategies to encourage cat owners to consistently choose their products when feeding their feline companions.

Approach

Recognizing the unique nature of each cat-owner relationship, we conducted individual, in-depth conversations with cat owners across the UK who had recently returned to our client’s brand. These discussions explored how their relationships with their cats had evolved over time, as well as their changing relationships with cat food brands, reasons for switching, and motivations for returning to our client’s products.

Impact

Our quick-turn project beautifully illuminated the current state of owner-cat relationships, factors influencing cat food purchases, and drivers for returning to our client’s brand. Armed with these insights, our client developed a strategy for attracting and retaining more customers based on emotional and functional needs, enabling them to connect with customers on a more personal level.