Community Perceptions
of the VetIndustry
Ref: 4730Summary Presentation
Presented by Michael Trigwell Taverner Research 10 April 2014
Project overview
Sample details
Vet usage
Perceptions of the vet industry
Pet insurance
Media exposure
Fee comparisons
Summary
direction
3 sample groups
607 pet owners
108 previous pet owners
107 never owned a pet
Capital City Not a capital city, but a city with
more than 100,000 population
A smaller centre or town
More than 5km from the nearest town or village
62%
15%19%
4%
SAMPLE DETAILS
Location %
NSW & ACT 22
VIC & TAS 34
QLD 21
SA 11
WA 11
NT 1
Male35%
Fe-male65%
GenderAge %
18-24 7
25-34 20
35-44 23
45-54 21
55-64 18
65+ 10
Remoteness of Respondents
Education Level %
University or higher 36
TAFE/vocational/trade cert. 32
Year 12 18
Year 10 12
No formal qualification 2
22%
12% 11%
67%
SAMPLE DETAILS
Yes38%
No62%
Children Aged Under 18 in the Household
Adults in the household %
Only 1 18
Two 58
Three 14
More than three 10
Government Assistance
Over $2,000 Over $1,000, but over $2,000
would be very difficult
Over $500, but over $1,000
would be very difficult
Over $200, but over $500 would be very difficult
Even $200 would be very difficult to find
quickly
40%
18%15%
10%
17%
Ability to Fund Unexpected Expense
Up to $20k a year
Over $20k up to $35k a year
Over $35k up to $50k a year
Over $50k up to $80k a year
Over $80k a year
9%
16% 16%
23%
36%Household Income
7%
13%
25%
15%11%
29%After Tax Income Spent on Housing
pet ownership
NUMBER OF PETS OWNED
Have one pet Have two pets Have three or more pets
43%
28% 30%
more than half of pet owners own
more than one pet
Multiple pet ownership is lower in capital cities 49% than other locations 70%
TYPE OF PETS OWNED
95%
70%
55%
24%20%
8% 7%3%
95% of all pet owners
own a cat or a dog
Significantly higher amongst 18-24 year olds 23% than others 7%
vetusage
4%of all pet owners have NEVER* used a vet
18%of all pet owners have not used a vet in the past 12 months** 14% for Dog owners up to 32% amongst small warm blooded animal owners
* 1% for Dog owners up to 11% amongst small warm blooded animal owners
77%
Vet UsageServices UsedProportion of pet owners who have used a service on at least one of their pets
For vaccination or booster shot
63% To be de-sexed
57% For a general check-up
Frequency of Vet UsageNumber of times pet owners have visited a vet in the past 12 months.
Key information about usage of vets
To implant an ID chip
To treat an injury
45%
45%
14% To treat diarrhoea or vomiting
13%When the pet was listless & not eating properly for more than a week
None Once Twice Three or more times
18%
33%27%
21%
9% Other
Regular Vet Usage
A vet practice I usually go to
whenever I need a vet
A particular vet I see
I rarely or never see a vet
I go to whichever vet practice is
convenient at the time
49%
28%
13% 10%
62%of all pet owners identified at least one barrier to taking their pet for an annual check up
TOP 5 BARRIERS TO VET USAGE FOR AN ANNUAL CHECK UP
58%Cost of vet fees
23%Expectation of exposure to ‘upselling’
21%Cost of pet health insurance
16%Not having pet health insurance
15%Ability to access at convenient times
perceptions ofthe vet industry
Medical specialists GPs Lawyers Trades people like plumbers and
electricians
Physiotherapists Other groups I don't compare vet fees with any
other groups
36%
29%
18%
12%9%
3%
30%
Proportion Who Said They Trust Almost All or Most
Compared to Other Professions Vet Fees Are…
Unreasonably high
High, but reasonable
In line with others
Low
22%29%
46%
4%
Professions Vet Fees are Compared To
GPs Nurses Vets Pharmacists Accountants Lawyers Financial Planners
71% 68% 65% 65%
47%41% 38%
OVER SERVICING/UPSELLING
20%All the time
or quite often
39%Not very often
PERCEPTIONS OF THE VALUE OF UPSELLING RECOMMENDATIONS
Worthwhile suggestions made for the good of my pet
Not really needed Much too expensive Not good enough value for money
47%
22%18%
13%
no ‘value’ according to 53%
pet insurance
78%
aware
12%uptake
Amongst all pet owners (15%) amongst those aware
SEGMENTS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE TAKEN UP PET INSURANCE
21%Frequent users (3+ times per year)
35%Exposed to ‘Choice’ articles
media exposure
Media Coverage
SubscriptionsProportion of pet owners who subscribe or read Choice
8% Of total pet owners exposed
Exposure to Vet Service Articles
Exposure and impact
Radio and TV Exposure
31% 29%23%
14%
46%
Subscriber Regularly get to read, but don't
subscribe
No access
4%10%
86%
56% Of subscribers and readers
Type of Articles About VetsGeneral coverage of topics in Choice that pet owners who recall seeing articles about vets can recall
N=49
49% Articles about over-servicing
37% Articles critical of cost of vet fees
29% Articles about the regulation of vet fees
18% Negative 28% Positive
feecomparisons
Considering the Training Required Vet Fees Compared to Doctor Fees Are…
7%
44%
33%
15%
Very reasonable Understandable even if they can be
hard to afford
A bit higher than seems reasonable
Unreasonably high
7%
36% 38%
18%
Considering the Investment in Premises & Equipment Vet Fees Compared to Doctor Fees Are…
Considering How Much I Enjoy and Care About My Pets Vet Fees Seem…
Good value Acceptable A bit higher than seems reasonable
Unreasonably high
7%
42%37%
13%
summary
Summary
FINDINGPet owners are making a lot of decisions themselves about the seriousness of the illness or injury to their pet. This is often due to not wanting or being able to afford the “un-necessary expense”.
However when the illness is deemed serious, the love for the pet ensures treatment is sought.IMPLICATIONSome pets may not be getting the treatment that they require as pet owners try to self diagnose due to concerns about vet fees.
Summary
FINDINGSConcern about vet fees is widespread in that there
is no single group who are more concerned than
other groups about this. It’s not directly related to
household income or disposable income.
This also isn’t related to being a pet owner or not,
it’s a community view.
IMPLICATIONS
Pet owners will still pay vet fees, when the deem it
necessary, however they are questioning the value
of some fees and concern exists about ‘over-
servicing’ in the industry.
SummaryFINDINGPet owners who have a regular vet or vet practice they visit place greater trust in the industry.
IMPLICATIONCustomer relationships are crucial in assisting overcoming any negative perceptions about vet fees.
Presented by Michael TrigwellTaverner Research 10 April 2014* All image rights owned by Shutterstock
“I wanted to wait a day and see what happens as long as I knew it wasn’t dangerous, I would never put my animals in any danger”