Introduction. Four Ps of Marketing of Pet Food Express
- Product: The product the company sells is safe organic pet food. Their slogan is “No B.S. Ingredients. That’s “no bad stuff”.
- Price: The price range offered caters to all manner of customers, but tends to be on the lower side. Their prices begin with 1-2 USD and go up to 30 USD for individuals looking for premium feeds for their pets.
- Place: The company has over 41 stores across the entirety of the US, allowing for physical selling of the merchandise. In addition, it bolsters same-day delivery for any order above 30 USD, charging only 5 USD per delivery, and offering it for free in some cases.
- Promotion: The company is well-known for its socially-responsible behavior, sponsoring animal adoption, animal-handling, and environmentally-friendly practices (“Pet Food Express,” 2022).
Factors that Differentiate Pet Food Express from Other Pet Specialty Retailers
The uniqueness of Pet Food Express comes from the fact that it initially started as a pet shelter and training project, with food supplies being a side-business. They have a perspective of customers when it comes to pet feed, and showcase it by retaining sheltering and animal adoption (“Pet Food Express,” 2022). All animals are fed food the company produces, thus making them a live example of how good their product is.
Promotional Mix
- Advertising: The company advertises itself to be a conscientious organic-based and nature-friendly facility, emphasizing new pet owners and the younger generation.
- Sales: The company offers all types of sales, ranging from online deliveries to in-store purchasing and direct sales to home owners.
- Public relations: Pet Food Express sports excellent public relationships due to maintaining high standards of products and animal care, offering free self-service pet washes at their stores, and donating generously to other shelters.
- Direct marketing: The company uses social media to collect data on pet owners and offer them the best product based on their preferences (“Pet Food Express,” 2022).
All of this is done with a specific marketing goal in mind – to create a relationship between the company and the client, by offering them the best deal while making them feel like they are contributing to a good cause and the environment.
Public Relations Campaign
The biggest part of Pet Food Express’s public relations campaign is their engagement with animal sheltering and adoption – each store is also an adoption center. In addition, the company donates to over 140 shelters across the US (“Pet Food Express,” 2022). Thus, a customer can either see them do good and take care of pets, or can see their products in other animal shelters, creating a strong association between the company and a worthy cause.
Sales Promotions and Tools Used as Incentives
The two types of sales promotion strategies that Pet Food Express uses is free shipping as well as encouraging people to buy in bulk. These strategies achieve the same purpose and are congruent to each other (Park, 2020). The incentive for customer here is that you would save more by buying more, which is an attractive deal for pet owners. In addition, the delivery is often on the same day due to the company’s widespread coverage, further encouraging people to pick this company over others.
Marketing Intermediaries and Distribution Channels
Although Pet Food Express does not sell its products outside of its own chain, it receives help from many marketing intermediaries and distribution channels. Namely, they utilize third-party companies for logistics, advertising, and data collection purposes (Park, 2020). Doing so allows the company to not waste its time and effort on developing a fully-independent cycle, instead focusing on food production.
Retailing and Physical Distribution
Retailing and physical distribution are key aspects of the company’s business. While online shopping has spiked during the COVID-19 crisis, Pet Food Express had built its reputation on showing to live customers why their food is good for pets (Park, 2020). A person visiting their store is much more likely to leave with a purchase, and, in some cases, with a new pet.
References
Park, S. (2020). Marketing management (Vol. 3). Seohee Academy. Pet Food Express. (2022). Web.