FurFuel – Go To Market Strategy

FurFuel – Go To Market Strategy

Distribution Channels

• Online: Direct to consumer platforms
  • We’ll be selling directly from our website to consumers through a subscription model.
  • Because we offer customized recipes for pet owners, the convenience of creating and ordering custom recipes makes online the most sensible for our main customer base.
• Retail
  • We will continue selling with retail distributors from previous launches/products.
  • Our new product will launch in select retail distributors as a general recipe.

• B2B: 
  • Already in physical retail partners, so selling wholesale to Petco/Petsmart/Chewy etc. 
  • Partner with vets, local ‘health’ events such as farmers markets, running races i.e. 5Ks, 10Ks etc. 

 

Considerations: 

• Does your product/service require physical delivery or digital downloads?
  • Since FurFuel already sells/delivers ‘fresh’ dog food to clients across the U.S., we assume that the company has pre-established contracts with delivery companies such as FedEx, USPS, UPS. We might need to negotiate different pricing Estimates with these companies due to increase in overall number of deliveries we would be making with this new line. Since freeze-dried food does not require any refrigeration or possess any risk of perishing, we do not have as many concerns about delivery. 
  • Our online platform will need to be adjusted to handle this new product. We traditionally offer a pet questionnaire that contributes to the personalized nutrition profile we make for clients’ pets. We will need to create a new profile pathway for freeze dried consumers and possibly a new way of calculating nutrients per ounce of freeze dried food to make sure we’re providing the optimal food. 
• Which channel aligns best with your target audience’s behavior?
  • While we utilize all three, we predict online will be where we see the bulk of our consumers. The freedom of customization is identified as a core value to the majority of our consumer base. As a result, online will see the most active use.
  • Despite the prioritization of online, we still offer brick-and-mortar sales because some long-term customers find technology abrasive and prefer to purchase in-store.

 

Sales Strategy

 

How will you sell your product?

• Direct Sales:
  • Since we are not a SaaS business or mainly a B2B company, our sales team will mostly act as both sales and customer support facilitators. When customers have questions about the food, what’s the appropriate option, these personnel will help close the sale, but all final transactions go through our website. 
• Channel Partners:
  • As an established company, we plan to leverage our existing chain of distribution that we will utilize for this new launch.
  • We hypothesize that we will need to add more personnel for the purpose of solidifying partnerships with brick-and-mortar stores or other pet-related brands operating in adjacent spaces i.e. BarkBox, solely for the freeze-dried line of dog food. 
• Self-Service:
  • Consumers will primarily purchase our product through self-service. With our online subscription based model, consumers will be able to customize and order in terms that fit their needs best. The aim is providing a seamless experience that allows customers to easily input and change recipe requirements based on their dog(s). The subscription model also removes stress and worry for recurring payments, while still allowing consumers to cancel when they see fit.

 

Considerations:

• What is your customer’s preferred purchasing experience?
  • Since customization is a crucial aspect of the customer experience, we believe self service will be the preferred purchasing experience. As such, this allows us to make recommendations and provide insight into what a customer would prefer for their dog’s needs, as opposed to convincing customers to purchase what we currently offer. In this sense, giving customers the power in purchase would also be beneficial.
• How scalable is your sales model?
  • Our sales model is fundamentally based on web platform sales, therefore deploying to new markets or increasing purchases of FurFuel products would not be a sizable challenge for us, on the ‘sales model’ side of the business.
  • The only note is that our customer support will need to fractionally scale as we grow, but it would not be a contributing source of friction for growth. 
  • Our new product has a high shelf life, meaning it can be produced, packaged and sold in bulk. This makes our sales model extremely scalable without worrying about supply issues.

 

Marketing and Promotion

How will you create awareness and demand?

• Channel:
  • We aim to utilize social media apps and trends to promote our product. While we will run campaigns, we’ll also utilize online influencers to promote and market not only our brand, but also the new product. With select influencers, we can encourage our sustainable and mid-premium brand while spreading word about our new product.
  • We will also use web ads and in store promotions
• Messaging:
  • We intend to launch educational videos that will detail the nutritional benefits of freeze dried food. With a focus on transparency, we want to show our customers the convenience factor of feeding freeze dried, with little to no nutritional loss. These educational PR videos will be done in collaboration with vets and other experts in the space.
• Campaigns:
  • The goal of our campaigns is to increase brand/product recognition and trust in the product to those who have never used it.
  • We will send products to pet content influencers, who will communicate our message and demo the product.
    • Influencers will have a code: We will send out samples frivolously using influencer code up to a certain amount of people, from there people must join the waitlist.
  • We may host brand events, inviting influencers and their pets, creating a positive association with the product
  • We will place our product in affluent dog hotels, spas, etc.

 

Considerations:

• What is your marketing budget and timeline?
  • Our current marketing budget will be around $100k. While tight, it will be split between our social media and in person campaigns, alongside with our educational videos.
  • The current timeline is to produce the educational videos close to recipe finalization of our new product. Ideally, they’ll release at the same time of our new product announcement. Social media campaigns will be utilized leading up to launch, and will persist through launch with our ground efforts as well.
• Which channels resonate most with your audience?
  • Since we are primarily targeting the DIMPS demographic, the influencers may be extremely useful.
  • Social media will be good in spreading the word of our product, but in-person events will probably prove to be most effective as it allows customers to visibly see and try the product themselves. This should be the most influential step in moving interest into consumers.
  • Based on our research, social media will be extremely important as a marketing strategy Source

 

Customer Service Strategy:

How will you support customers post-launch?

• Channels:
  • There will be an FAQ
  • Customer support team available via phone or chat. Chat will be an Ai base which can direct users to a live agent if needed.
  • Customers can also turn to their vets for more information if necessary. Considering how we intend to have a vet and nutritional experts working alongside us when developing the recipe, experts in general should know enough about our product to convey that information to customers and patients.
• Tools: 
  • We’ll have routine feedback systems that allow customers to leave feedback on our product. Additionally, if customers were to unsubscribe, we’d also request feedback regarding their experience.

Considerations:

• What tools and processes do you need to provide reliable support?
  • We need a highly available team of support agents.
  • We will also need to streamline the information that is collected in order to get proper assistance- customers can input information about their order/ pet/ account before speaking to an agent.
• How will you gather and act on customer feedback?
  • Customer feedback will mainly be gathered through routine systems, and from exit of subscription requests. Feedback will be aggregated within schedule and at launch we aim to work within a month-to-month cycle where we can offer support. 
  • Our support team will also work to provide immediate compensation for any terrible experiences within reason