Pet Industry Interview
Not only am I a dog lover but as a fashion merchandising student, I had the opportunity to speak someone working in this field. I interviewed Jenny Haught, the merchandising manager in SimpyShe on June 25th and she is also the owner of 2 big dogs. SimpleShe is the leader in the pet lifestyle company providing high-quality, fashionable yet functional pet apparel and accessories at affordable price. Based on her experience, she told us what her customer like.
Q: Can you give me a brief description of your role in this company?
A : I am a merchandising manager here. My role here is to help organize and merchandise product categories onto displays. Also, I help work on competitive shopping reports and Prepare all the meetings.
Q: What is the price point for your company?
A: I would say we are at affordable price point. Most of our money comes from mass customer, We have multi- channel retail partnerships. Walmart is the big portion for our income. We also sell our items to Petco and Ross. Petco is little bit higher but still affordable. Ross is like a discount price point.
Q:As a customer, we really do care about the pricing, do you think the higher price items really means better quality?
A: Of course, the higher the better. Like the items we sold to Petco cost a little bit higher than Walmart, because we use higher quality fabric to make them. Pets will feel more comfortable.
Q: I saw you guys have a lot of choices for pet clothing. How do you guys know which one is popular?
A: We have new design every season. Just like fashion design, based on research, we know every season’s trend so we can design our new clothing depending on that. Also, buyers will talk to sellers. Based on seller feedback we have more choices for our clothing.
Q: Do you guys have new items coming out next season?
A: Now we are focusing on active dogs, so we may develop a bunch of dog jackets, dog backpacks. Something like outdoor gear.
Q: Do you guys have any strategy to compete with other pet companies?
A: We always buy other company’s in order to compare their quality with ours.
Q: How do you guys know what is the customer interested in?
A: We have a lot of channels to know what is the customer like. For example. Internet research, focus group and questionnaire. Also, sometimes we go to the pet industry conference to tell the customer needs there.
Q: What was the least successful item you tired to sell?
A: Like some geometry patterns. However, skull patterns and camouflage patterns are always popular.
Q: Do you think are pet clothing making pet comfortable?
A: I think it is really depends on pet, but some small breeds like Chihuahuas wearing coats in the winter due to lack of fur. Not all of them wear clothing for cuteness factor. However, no matter what reasons I think it’s important to good quality clothing for your pet.
Q: Last question, as a pet owner too do you have any suggestion to the other pet parents?
A: Please be responsible. If you’re even a little bit unsure about whether you’ll be able to afford a pet over the next few years, then this may not be the best time to bring a pet home. For dress up your pet, you can tell if your pet is ok with being dolled up. Just to ensure that everyone enjoys the fun time.
Me and the merchandising manager Jenny Haught in SimpyShe
holiday items from SimplyShe