Sparky's Pet Salon Market Research

Sparky’s Pet Salon

Market Research

alfred endeio

1

Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Decision Problem ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Research Problem ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Secondary Research ................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Demographics .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Household Incomes ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Competitors ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Comparison Chart ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Pet Grooming Market Trends .................................................................................................................................................. 8

Business Trends .................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Marketing Trends .............................................................................................................................................................. 9

Primary Research ................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Data Collection Method ....................................................................................................................................................... 11

Questionnaires .................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Sampling Plan .................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Limitations ......................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Results & Analysis .................................................................................................................................................................................. 14

Exhibit 1 ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Exhibit 2 ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Sources ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

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Executive Summary

In the fall of 2010, alfred endeio LLC worked with client Sparky’s Pet Salon of Orlando, FL. The client

wanted to know how to increase revenue at its current location while also exploring the possibility of

opening a second pet-salon.

The research conducted utilized primary research (including current-client surveys, and potential-client

surveys) and secondary research (including demographic studies and census information). The project had

four major findings:

• First, location is highly important to customers; location is more important than amount of dog

grooming services, but not as important as pricing and quality of services.

• Second, dynamic pricing could alter client-scheduling habits and fill mid-week empty appointment

slots; discounts of 20% of more would be necessary.

• Third, Sparky’s Pet Salon needs too better communicate its convenient location (e.g. free garage-

parking). Marketing communications should be heavily online-based.

• Fourth, a second Sparky’s location should, most importantly, be conveniently located but also remain

small in size. Dog-owners are not interested in dog boarding.

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Decision Problems

Sparky’s Pet Salon routinely experiences broad fluctuations in demand for its services throughout the week.

There is very little demand for Sparky’s services on off-peak days such as Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and

Thursdays. Conversely, Fridays and Saturdays provide more demand than is currently serviceable. This

situation leads to inefficiencies of operational time usage. Sparky’s Pet Salon seeks to decrease the volatility

of its demand, thus normalizing its operations throughout the week. To aid Sparky’s in a volatility decreasing

solution, the following questions were asked:

Discovery-Oriented Problems:

1. How important is the location and is the

current location convenient?

2. What effect would dynamic pricing, and

increased promotional activity each have on

demand volatility for Sparky’s services?

Strategy-Oriented Problems:

1. If/How Sparky’s should use the information

gathered to append its marketing practices?

2. If/How Sparky’s should choose a new business

location or an expansion location in the

future?

Research Problem

To help Sparky’s make an informed strategic decision, alfred endeio gathered an understanding of which

factors inhibit walk-in traffic and reservation booking during off-peak days. In addition, research about

possible solutions to these inhibitors was gathered. The research was conducted using the following

methods:

1. Inquiries of current Sparky’s customers assessing sentiment toward location, facilities, service

offerings, pricing, and promotions

2. Research on industry standards of service, pricing, promotion, and best practices

3. Survey of local dog owners assessing factors that motivate usage of pet grooming services, for

example: location, expediency, convenience, price, etc.

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Secondary Research

alfred endeio believes secondary research of the market for Pet Groomers within Sparky’s accessible area,

and comprehensive research on Sparky’s immediate competition are necessary to supplement the team’s

findings through primary research (surveys and interviews). The following sections highlight the team’s

secondary research discoveries. The demographic and competitive research contained within was gathered

around the 13 zip codes nearest Sparky’s Pet Salon, as the owner has expressed he would like to remain in

the general area. For the remainder of the report this area will be referred to as “the target area.” In

addition, several published documents describing pet grooming trends and pet owner behaviors were

researched and will be referenced within.

Doggie Demographics

There are 412,000 dogs registered as pets in Orange County Florida. Nearly 200,000 of those are located in

the target area of downtown Orlando, and its closest districts [1]. Currently Sparky’s services only 5% of the

registered pet population within the target area. The following map displays geographic concentrations of

registered dog ownership by zip code. The map is centered on Sparky’s Pet Salon. Concentrations of

registered dogs are displayed by color. Red indicates those zip codes containing more than 15,000

registered dogs, orange represents those zip codes containing between 10,000 and 15,000 registered dogs,

and yellow represents zip codes containing less than 10,000 registered dogs.

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According to the 2008 census report, there are 43,000 registered dogs contained within Sparky’s zip code

and its four closest surrounding zip codes, (3 yellow, 1 orange) 11,500 of which are contained in the zip

code 32806. As of 2008, only 5,656 registered dogs resided within Sparky’s zip code. Roughly 83% of these

dogs have not yet utilized Sparky’s services.

Sniffing out the Money

Of all the districts in the Sparky’s target area, the highest concentration of wealth is located within the

Winter Park area. The average household income in that area is $153,740 [2]. This is also the area where

nationally registered Pet Groomers report the highest sales levels.

Within Sparky’s current zip code the median household income is $57,538 annually. This group has less

discretionary income than those in the Winter Park area, yet can afford to pay for pet grooming services. A

full chart of household income broken down by zip code is listed below. Each of the zip codes is located

within Sparky’s target area.

Zip Code: Income: Zip Code: Income:

32801 $57,538 32811 $21,911

32803 $61,772 32812 $44,911

32804 $87,516 32822 $26,912

32805 $20,351 32839 $25,604

32806 $69,939 32789 $153,740

32807 $27,687 32792 $43,882

32808 $23,868

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The Competition: Grrrrr….

The Pet Grooming and Pet Services industry in Orlando is highly saturated with competition. There are 30

nationally registered pet groomers currently operating in Sparky’s target area, and approximately another 30

non-registered Pet Groomers also operating on a regular basis within this area. Below is a short list of some

of Sparky’s larger competitors and the earnings they reported for 2009 [3]

Miss Emily’s play room & groom

Sales: $1,000,000

5307 E. Colonial # 102

Town & Country Pet Salon

Sales: $200,000

3019 Edgewater Dr

Love on a Leash

Sales: $500,000

671 W Fairbanks Ave

Above & Beyond Pet Sitting

Sales: $500,000

Winter Park, Florida

Canvey Enterprises

Sales: $290,000

5307 E Colonial Dr Ste 102

Florida Institute - Animal Arts

Sales: $1,000,000

3776 Howell Branch Rd

Aunt Bea's Pet Grooming

Sales: $60,000

4925 S Orange Ave

Central FL Canine Center

Sales: $60,000

101 Gatlin Ave

Among Sparky’s local competitors is the Florida Institute of Animal Arts. The Florida Institute, not only has

pet grooming and boarding services, but also offers training for future pet groomers. This exposure as a pet

groomer training facility greatly increases Florida Institutes pet grooming sales. As you can see from the tale

above, the two nationally registered Pet Groomers located in Sparky’s immediate vicinity have the lowest

sales, bringing in only $60,000 annually. Additionally, four of Sparky’s most profitable competitors are located

in or close to the Winter Park area, with the least competitive of those bringing in $200,000 in annual sales.

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Comparative Services:

As aforementioned, there are dozens of other non-registered pet groomers competing for clients within

Sparky’s target area. A few of these include the Metropolitan Dog Spa, Luvin’ Pups, Dog Day Afternoon, All

Creatures Pet Grooming, and Petco [4]. Sparky’s offers many equivalent services to these competitors, and

its prices are lower than those of its competitors. Below is a breakdown of Sparky’s services and fees as

compared to a few of its competitors:

Service Sparky’s Metro D.S. Dog Day Afternoon Luvin’ Pups

Small Dog Groom $45 $47 $55 $65

Medium Dog Groom $55 $60 $75 $75

Large Dog Groom $65 $80 $75+ $85

Small Dog Bath $25 $25 $25 $95

Medium Dog Bath $30 $35 $35 $50

Large Dog Bath $40 $45 $45 $55

Flea Care $10 ___ $10 $65

Teeth Clean $10 $10 $10 ___

Nail Trim $10 $10 $10 ___

Ear Clean $10 $10 $10 ___

Demitting (per hour) $15 ___ $5 ___

Pick Up/Drop Pff $5(one way) $8(rt) $7(OW) $10 (RT) ___ ___

Relatively few of Sparky’s competitors have a published list of prices. Even fewer offer dynamic pricing

throughout the week to stabilize their demand. Petco is one of Sparky’s competitors that offers dynamic

pricing, however Petco’s base prices far exceed those of Sparky’s for all services.

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Pet Grooming Trends

The pet grooming and pet services industry is continuing to grow despite economic conditions. The

American pet owners association estimates, “Americans will spend $47.7 billion on their pets in 2010, up

from $45.5 billion in 2009. Of that sum, $3.45 billion will be spent on pet services such as grooming and

boarding in 2010, up from $3.36 billion in 2009.” [6.] Our research has shown pet owners are more likely

than ever to purchase expensive toys, and services for their pets. Pet groomers offering “specialized” or

differentiated services seem to successfully charge premium pricing for their services.

Business Trends:

One of the most popular trends in pet grooming is the “mobile” pet groomer. Traveling to the customer

minimizes the limitations location can have on business volume. Mobile pet groomer, “Galloping Groomer is

not exclusively a mobile service -- it also has a bricks-and-mortar location.” [5.] The price of service for

mobile pet grooming is typically higher. Consumers are willing to pay more for the added convenience. This

increase can be used to offset business costs of maintaining a mobile groomer.

Sparky’s is currently contemplating a possible expansion to an additional location. With nearly 1000

reoccurring customers, this option is viable for Sparky’s. Successful pet groomer owner Judy Cochran,

“opened Main Street Groomers seven years ago in Thurmont; the business has about 400 to 500 repeat

customers. She plans to open a new location in Walkersville.” [6.] Similar articles have been written about

pet grooming expansion. In general, a base of 400 repeat customers marks the level at which companies

feel comfortable before expanding locations. Given the demographics of Sparky’s current location, it is

feasible to suggest that Sparky’s can open an additional location within the 32806 or the 32789 zip codes

without cannibalizing current sales. A second Sparky’s, though, would need to develop a new client base

either by recruiting never-before groomed dogs, or dogs currently groomed at competitor locations.

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Marketing Trends:

Another trend in the pet grooming industry is the use of online social-networking; “Social networking was

not new in 2009 but the successes of the early adopters such as @PetsitUSA and @petrelocation are driving

more and more pet businesses online.“ [7.] Each of these companies uses social media platforms to offer

discounted pricing, and promotions to stabilize their demand throughout the week.

Additionally, pet owners are looking for groomers to offer “a wide variety of online and offline tools to help

communicate, and showcase themselves as respected experts in their pet industry niche.” [8.] Tools like

Facebook and Twitter are tools being used more often by groomers as a way to market through

establishing credibility.

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Primary Research

In order to gain insight into the nature of the problem, we participated in both exploratory research and

descriptive research. We conducted exploratory research via the secondary outlined previously. This

primarily helped to increase our familiarity with the problem, and provided inspiration for further research,

which we decided would best take the form of primary descriptive research.

We used descriptive research for three reasons: 1) to gain profile data on dog owners in the Orlando area,

2) to be able to split them up according to specific behaviors and proportions, and 3) to be able to predict

certain behavioral outcomes from the gathering of this data. Regarding causal research, although we did

want to know what elements specifically caused certain dog owner behaviors, we chose to exclude this due

to the lack of time needed for both developing the experiments and running them. However, before

implementing our descriptive research, we needed to answer the five questions of who, what, when, why,

and how:

Who:

We wanted to target only dog owners in the Orlando area, more specifically, dog owners who have taken

their dog(s) to a dog groomer at least once in the past. Since dog owners who haven’t actually taken their

dog(s) to a groomer yet are still potential customers, we felt it was valuable to get their response data.

What:

We wanted general demographics, such as sex, age group, and zip code of dog owners. We also wanted to

know specific information, such as how many dogs they own, how often they take their dog(s) to the

groomer, etc. (please see Exhibits 1 and 2).

When:

We wanted to get any dog owners to fill out our questionnaire at any time, no matter how recent they

have been to a groomer.

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Where:

We chose to target three specific, physical locations where dog owners would frequent. These areas are

pet stores (Petco, PetSmart, etc.), dog parks (Fleet Peeples Park), and Park Avenue, where it is very

common for dogs and their owners to walk up and down the avenue or just hang out. We also emailed

(from Sparky’s current customer email list) respondents at home or work (or wherever they receive and

engage their emails).

Why:

Since we ideally wanted to get data from dog owners who have taken their dog(s) to a groomer, we

thought that the best target group would be Sparky’s current customers. We know that they all have gone

to a groomer at least once. And since we couldn’t solicit survey information outside competitors’ stores,

we thought that just finding dog owners en masse would be the next best option (hence, pet stores, dog

parks, and Park Avenue).

How:

We chose to use a questionnaire with two versions. The first version is more general, aimed at dog owners

who may not have heard of Sparky’s. The second version is more Sparky’s-related, and these were emailed

(using Sparky’s customer email list) to those respondents that have been to Sparky’s at least once.

Lastly, we chose to use a cross-sectional analysis, or a sample survey. Longitudinal analysis and the use of

panels would’ve provided more accurate and deeper data, but, again, time would simply not allow for this.

We also hoped that a sample survey would provide us with a more random or representative cross-section

of our target market, as panels often cannot do this.

Data Collection Method and Forms

We could not use the observation method of collecting data because the information we desired (i.e., how

does ease of grooming scheduling rank in importance for a dog owner when compared to price, quality of

service, etc.?) could not be attained by merely watching people. Perhaps, given more time and funding,

something more creative could have been developed in order to use observational data collection to get

the information we wanted. We chose to use the communication method of collecting data. Specifically,

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we chose a semi-high structure with our questionnaires (with a few open-ended questions), no disguise, a

natural setting, and human administration.

The Questionnaires:

Our questionnaire came in two versions: 1) for current or past customers of Sparky’s (please see Exhibit 1)

and 2) for those we would target in the specified locations (pet stores, dog parks, and Park Avenue) (please

see Exhibit 1). The first version has 26 total questions, five of which are open-ended, and the second has

28 total questions with six open-ended questions. Both versions contain eight multichotomous questions,

but the first version has three dichotomous questions, while the second version has four, bringing version

one to a total of 11 close-ended questions and version to 12 close-ended questions. Both have ten scaled

response questions, specifically, seven questions using the Likert scale and three questions using an ordinal

scale. Client Questionnaire (version one): 26 total questions = 5 open-ended, 8 multichotomous, 3

dichotomous, 7 Likert, and 3 ordinal. Public Questionnaire (version two): 28 total questions = 6 open-

ended, 8 multichotomous, 4 dichotomous, 7 Likert, and 3 ordinal.

Question topics were grouped together, and personal or demographic/classifying questions were placed last

with the most relevant and non-threatening questions placed first. One thing to note is that we originally

wanted to incorporate questions using a ratio scale, but since we also wanted to focus on keeping the

questionnaire as short as possible (regarding completion time), we felt that this would take too much time

for people to accomplish, which would go against our undisguised intentions (as we wanted to approach

potential respondents by asking them fill out a “five-minute survey”). The questionnaire was presented on

either one sheet of eight by eleven white paper with two sides or two sheets with one side on each. We

felt it was important to present a “short-looking” questionnaire to back up our promise of a five-minute

commitment.

The Sampling Plan:

After having defined the target population as dog owners who have patronized or have considered

patronizing a dog groomer at least once, we felt the best sample for our purposes would be a simple

random sample. But again, time (and skills/resources) forced us to go with a non-probability sampling design.

We chose to use judgmental sampling, mainly due to convenience. Since we knew we needed to contact

dog owners, we used Sparky’s email list for the first version of the questionnaire, and we chose several

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convenient locations that would be most likely to contain dog owners, these places being pet stores, dog

parks, and Park Avenue.

With the email list, we simply emailed the questionnaire to everyone on the list and waited to get responses

back. We understood that this method, although reaching everyone within the current or past customer

target population, was far from random, as respondents would only represent those types of people who

would be willing to fill out a survey for whatever reason. It could be because they had a genuine interest in

dog groomers, improving Sparky’s, aiding graduate students, etc., but those who didn’t care about these

things would not be represented in this survey.

With the second version of the questionnaire, we approached any and all dog owners we could ask without

artificially restricting our target population. If they declined, then we would politely thank them and move

along. Anyone with a dog was welcome to fill out our questionnaire because we felt that as dog owners,

their opinions on dog groomers could prove insightful.

After one month of data collection, we attained 597 filled questionnaires.

Limitations:

The research report has four main limitations. First, the current-client survey was delivered only via-email,

perhaps creating a bias for future online communication and appointment booking. Second, the surveys

given to dog-walkers on Park Ave and other areas were inherently biased; surveys, for example, were given

to “approachable” dog-walkers, or owners with small or non-threatening dogs. Third, online survey

respondents represent customers with good experiences at Sparky’s (i.e. unhappy customers would have

been less likely to fill out the survey). Fourth, the in-persons surveys were conducted in places of

convenience (Park Ave, etc.), as opposed to a wider and more encompassing geographical area possibly

better representing the entire community.

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Results and Analysis

Through primary and secondary research alfred endeio has answered the four questions we based our

exploration upon. Questions and answers are as follows:

1. How important is the location and is the current location convenient?

When comparing location to other aspects of the Sparky’s service experience we noted the following:

location is more important than ease-of-scheduling, which is ranked 4th, and range of services, ranked 5th but

not as important as quality of services, ranked 1st, and price ranked 2nd. Thus we can conclude that location

is an important factor for customers in need of pet grooming services. This conclusion is supported by our

secondary research showing a growing number of mobile pet groomers nationwide.

To put these results into perspective for Sparky’s we used a two-box test to determine that of the 94

respondents, 67% viewed the current location as inconvenient; 33% viewed the location as convenient or

very convenient. Since a large portion of survey respondents lives more than 5 miles from Sparky’s, we used

a cross-tabulation of our survey results to determine if this locational disadvantage would actually hinder

customers from being flexible with appointment days. Through this analysis we discovered that people who

live further than 5 miles away from Sparky’s are indeed open to being flexible with appointment days

provided the proper incentive…

2. What effect would dynamic pricing, and increased promotional activity have?

Measuring the frequency of reported results, we discovered that 55% of respondents were willing to change

their current scheduling habits for a discount. We also discovered that 30% of the unwilling respondents

would consider changing their scheduling habits if given a discount of 20% or more.

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3. How should Sparky’s use the information gathered to append its marketing practices?

Sparky’s currently uses a variety of different methods to reach out to customers. Through our primary

research we asked respondents what methods of communication were most efficient for them. We used a

pair T-test to discover the relationship between these various modes of communication. Respondents

ranked the marketing channels in the following order:

Email (1st),

Facebook (2nd),

Phone Text (3rd),

Print Ads (4th)

Twitter (5th)

Based on these results we suggest Sparky’s would benefit from pursue a dynamic pricing strategy, that offers

at least a 20% discount to its current prices during non-peak business days. Additionally, Sparky’s would

benefit from communicating its convenience (such as 15min free parking) to customers. We also suggest

Sparky’s use email and Facebook as primary means to communicate these discounts and convenience items

to customers.

4. If/How should Sparky’s choose a new business location or an expansion location in the future?

Based on our research we cannot conclude that Sparky’s should relocate its primary service location. There

are several other factors outside of market research that must also figure into such a decision. However,

should Sparky’s wish to open an additional service location we suggest it consider a convenient location (i.e.

near on-street parking, or parking garage, and two way streets), in a zip code with a higher annual income

per household than its current location’s zip code. Additionally, we recommend keeping the new location

small, as there is no perceived added benefit to boarding animals.

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Exhibit 1. Public Questionnaire

Help your dog groomer to improve its service to loving dog owners and their dog(s) by filling out this 5 minute survey.

This survey is part of a marketing research project on Your dog groomer dog grooming salon and is being conducted by a

group of graduate students of Crummer Business School. Your participation is greatly appreciated and entirely voluntary.

The surveys are anonymous and you can be assured of complete confidentiality. Your responses will be used only for

aggregate analysis and will not be identified as individual response.

1. Who is you current dog groomer?

_______________________________________________

2. How far do you live from your dog groomer? Please check

one.

[ ] Less than 1 mile

[ ] Between 1 and 2 miles



[ ] More than 5 miles

3. If you live more than 5 miles away, briefly explain why you

are loyal to your dog groomer.

____________________________________________________

4. How many different dog groomers have you gone to? Please

check one.

[ ] 0

[ ] 1

[ ] 2

[ ] 3

[ ] More than 3

5. How do you take your dog(s) to the groomer? Please check

one.

[ ] Drive

[ ] Walk

[ ] Bicycle

[ ] Pet Pick Up Service

6. Please rank in order of importance when considering a dog

groomer (with 1 being least important and 5 being most

important):

a. Location ____

b. Quality of Service ____

c. Price ____

d. Range of Services ____

e. Making and getting desired appointment times ____

7. How convenient is your dog groomer location? Please check

one.

[ ] Very inconvenient

[ ] Somewhat inconvenient

[ ] Neither convenient nor inconvenient

[ ] Somewhat convenient

[ ] Very convenient

8. If you think your dog groomer location is convenient, please

briefly explain why.

_____________________________________________

9. How do you compare your dog groomer prices with other

groomers? Please check one.

[ ] Less expensive

[ ] More expensive

[ ] I don’t go to other groomers

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10. Would you consider changing your normal or preferred

grooming day/time if you were offered a discount to do so? Please

check one.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[ ] Maybe

11. If yes, then what percentage discount would persuade you?

Please check one.

[ ] Less than 5%

[ ] 5%

[ ] 10%

[ ] 15%

[ ] 20%

[ ] More than 20%

12. If you own more than one dog, would “package” deals

interest you? Please check one.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[ ] Maybe

13. What please rank your preferred method of communication

when it involves time-sensitive discounts (for example, “this week

only” coupons) (with 1 being the least and 5 being the most)

(Check all that apply)

[ ] Email

[ ] Print Ads (magazines, newsletter)

[ ] Facebook

[ ] Phone Text

[ ] Twitter

14. Please rank in order of preference when considering the

method of making an appointment (with 1 being the least and 5

being the most):

a. Phone ____

b. Website ____

c. Email ____

d. Phone Text ____

e. Walk-in ____

15. While making an appointment, I get the day and time I

request. Please check one.

[ ] I strongly disagree

[ ] I somewhat disagree

[ ] I neither agree nor disagree

[ ] I somewhat agree

[ ] I strongly agree

16. I am flexible with the days and times when making a

grooming appointment: Please check one.






17. When is your most preferred grooming appointment day of

the week and time of day?

____________________________________________________

__________________________________________

18. If Your dog groomer offered daytime boarding, allowing for

pre-work drop offs and post-work pickups, this would be a

significant convenience for me. Please check one.






19. Daytime boarding would allow me to be more flexible when

considering appointment days and times. Please check one.






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20. Daytime boarding would encourage me to get my dog

groomed more often. Please check one.






21. I would consider paying extra for daytime boarding. Please

check one.






22. How many dogs do you own? Please check one.

[ ] 0

[ ] 1

[ ] 2

[ ] 3

[ ] More than 3

23. How much do you spend on dog grooming services per

month? Please check one.

[ ] Less than $50

[ ] $50 to $75

[ ] $76 to $100

[ ] $101 to $200

[ ] More than $200

24. What is your annual household income? Please check one.

[ ] Less than $25,000

[ ] $25,000 to $50,000

[ ] $50,001 to $100,000

[ ] More than $100,000

[ ] Prefer not to answer

25. Please list your zip code __________

26. Are you Male or Female __________

27. Please indicate your age group. Check one.

[ ] 18-24 [ ] 35-44 [ ] 55-64

[ ] 25-34 [ ] 45-54 [ ] 65+

[ ] Prefer not to Say

28. Have you ever heard of Sparky’s Pet Salon? Please check one

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

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Exhibit 2. Client Questionnaire

Help Sparky’s to improve its service to loving dog owners and their dog(s) by filling out this survey. This survey

is part of a marketing research project on Sparky’s dog grooming salon and is being conducted by a group of

graduate students of Crummer Business School. Your participation is greatly appreciated and entirely voluntary.

The surveys are anonymous and you can be assured of complete confidentiality. Your responses will be used

only for aggregate analysis and will not be identified as individual response:

1. How far do you live from Sparky’s? Please check one.

[ ] Less than 1 mile




[ ] More than 5 miles

2. If you live more than 5 miles away, briefly explain why

you are loyal to Sparky’s.

_______________________________________________

3. How many different dog groomers have you gone to?

Please check one.

[ ] 0

[ ] 1

[ ] 2

[ ] 3

[ ] More than 3

4. How do you take your dog(s) to the groomer? Please

check one.

[ ] Drive

[ ] Walk

[ ] Bicycle

[ ] Pet Pick Up Service

5. Please rank in order of importance when considering a

dog groomer (with 1 being least important and 5 being

most important):

a. Location ____

b. Quality of Service ____

c. Price ____

d. Range of Services ____

e. Getting desired appointment times ____

6. How convenient is Sparky’s location? Please check one.

[ ] Very inconvenient

[ ] Somewhat inconvenient

[ ] Neither convenient nor inconvenient

[ ] Somewhat convenient

[ ] Very convenient

7. If you think Sparky’s location is convenient, please

briefly explain why.

___________________________________________

8. How do you compare Sparky’s prices with other

groomers? Please check one.

[ ] Less expensive

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[ ] More expensive

[ ] I don’t go to other groomers

9. Would you consider changing your normal or preferred

grooming day/time if you were offered a discount to do so?

Please check one.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[ ] Maybe

10. If yes, then what percentage discount would persuade

you? Please check one.

[ ] Less than 5%

[ ] 5%

[ ] 10%

[ ] 15%

[ ] 20%

[ ] More than 20%

11. If you own more than one dog, would “package” deals

interest you? Please check one.

[ ] Yes

[ ] No

[ ] Maybe

12. What please rank your preferred method of

communication when it involves time-sensitive discounts

(for example, “this week only” coupons) (with 1 being the

least and 5 being the most)

[ ] Email

[ ] Print Ads (magazines, newsletter)

[ ] Facebook

[ ] Phone Text

[ ] Twitter

13. Please rank in order of preference when considering

the method of making an appointment (with 1 being the

least and 5 being the most):

a. Phone ____

b. Website ____

c. Email ____

d. Phone Text ____

e. Walk-in ____

14. While making an appointment, I get the day and time I

request. Please check one.






15. I am flexible with the days and times when making a

grooming appointment: Please check one.






16. When is your most preferred grooming appointment

day of the week and time of day?

___________________________________________

17. If Sparky’s offered daytime boarding, allowing for pre-

work drop offs and post-work pickups, this would be a

significant convenience for me. Please check one.




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18. Daytime boarding would allow me to be more

flexible when considering appointment days and times.

Please check one.






19. Daytime boarding would encourage me to get my dog

groomed more often. Please check one.






20. I would consider paying extra for daytime boarding.

Please check one.






21. How many dogs do you own? Please check one.

[ ] 0

[ ] 1

[ ] 2

[ ] 3

[ ] More than 3

22. How much do you spend on dog grooming services

per month? Please check one.

[ ] Less than $50

[ ] $50 to $75

[ ] $76 to $100

[ ] $101 to $200

[ ] More than $200

23. What is your annual household income? Please check

one.

[ ] Less than $25,000

[ ] $25,000 to $50,000

[ ] $50,001 to $100,000

[ ] More than $100,000

[ ] Prefer not to answer

24. Please list your zip code __________

25. Are you Male or Female __________

26. Please indicate your age group. Check one.

[ ] 18-24

[ ] 25-34

[ ] 35-44

[ ] 45-54

[ ] 55-64

[ ] 65+

[ ] Prefer not to Say

alfred endeio

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Sources

[1.] http://www.lnstatistical.com.ezproxy.rollins.edu:2048/Main.jsp

[2.] http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/TaxZip.asp

[3.] http://www.naics.com/censusfiles/ND812910.HTM

[4.] Google Search “Pet Groomer 32801”

[5.] New mobile pet grooming business set to expand into York County, Pa.

Knight Ridder Tribune Business News. Washington: Sep 6, 2009

[6.] Entrepreneur opens second pet grooming location Ike Wilson. McClatchy - Tribune Business News.

Washington: Oct 6, 2010.

[7.] http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/01/pet-industry-trends-for-2010.html

[8.] http://www.marketingmypetbusiness.com/2010/02/top-pet-trends-for-2010.html

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Documents

Sparky's Pet Salon Market Research