Blog Post 4: PetSmart's Evaluation and Metrics

Accessibility

PetSmart’s website is clean and easy to navigate. The links at the top of the page separate their products by type of animal, such as Dog, Cat, Fish, Bird, Reptile, etc.  The PetSmart website also works in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Navigation

Navigating through PetSmart’s website is easy. After clicking on the category of animal you’re shopping for, the products are then broken down into types of products (Food & Health, Supplies & Training), which are then broken down into sub-categories (Dental Care, Flea & Tick, Food, Treats, Beds & Blankets, Bowls & Feeders, etc.).

Design

The design of PetSmart’s website is very neat and tidy.  The background is white, and the main font colors are red, blue, and black.  The font used is easy to read.

Content

The website’s content is up-to-date. The home page displays what promotions are currently going on. The content (such as their ads) is straight to the point and easy to read.

Security

There have not been any indicators that make me believe PetSmart’s security is of concern, although their privacy policy states that “no e-commerce solution, website, database or system is completely ‘hacker proof.’ You are also responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect your personal information against unauthorized disclosure or misuse. (PetSmart Privacy Policy)

Other Information

Overall Marketing Grade: 68/100

Inbound Links: 10,351

Indexed Pages: 495,000

Social Media

·         Twitter Followers: 139,566

·         Facebook: 2,162,037 Likes

·         LinkedIn: 27,458 followers

·         Instagram: 59.6K followers

·         Pinterest account: 9,609

·         YouTube: 13,382  subscribers

·         Google+: 9,012 followers

·         Target Blog: none

(Marketing Grader , 2014)

http://www.petsmart.com/helpdeskcategory/us-helpdesk-safety-category-US_helpdesk_category_safety?article=US_helpdesk_article_safety_privacy#security

PetSmart's Content Strategy

As stated in my previous blog post, PetSmart takes advantage of the following platforms:

• ·         The Petsmart.com website
• ·         Facebook
• ·         Twitter
• ·         Instagram
• ·         Pinterest
• ·         Youtube
• ·         Google+

The content on the Petsmart.com website is mainly driven towards information and sales.  Each webpage displays special offers, and promotes specific items.  The content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+, however, varies greatly from the website.  PetSmart’s social media presence focuses more on posting cute pictures of animals in an attempt to generate more likes, shares, retweets, ect. (quite successfully I might add!).  This social media strategy pushes PetSmart’s presence farther into the community. On YouTube, PetSmart creates numerous informational videos regarding animal care as well as heartwarming PetSmart adoption videos.

Regardless of the platform, PetSmart holds true to their value proposition of being “the preferred provider for the lifetime needs of pets.”  PetSmart offers a wide variety of pet supplies and an ever-expanding list of pet services (grooming, training, veterinary, boarding, ect.). These services make PetSmart a one-stop shop for a pet owner’s needs. Electronically, the videos PetSmart creates to educate pet parents are extremely valuable.

Of all of PetSmart’s platforms, the only ones they really try to promote products on are the petsmart.com website and on Youtube.  Petsmart.com allows shoppers to purchase products online and have them directly shipped to the customer’s house.  While Youtube does not have a direct sales cart, the informational videos the company produces often promote specific products PetSmart carries, and directs the viewer to the Petsmart.com website if they are interested in purchasing it.

PetSmart Digital Tools and Value Proposition

PetSmart uses a wide variety of digital tools/platforms.  They include:

·         The petmsart.com website

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         Instagram

·         Pintrest

·         Youtube

·         Google+

“Our strategy is to be the preferred provider for the lifetime needs of pets (wikiinvest.com).”  To hold true to their value proposition, PetSmart offers a wide variety of pet supplies and an ever-expanding list of pet services (grooming, training, veterinary, boarding, ect.). These services make PetSmart a one-stop shop for a pet owner’s needs.  PetSmart also offers superior customer service.  Employees are very knowledgeable when it comes to furry friends, so they are able to offer meaningful advice and tips, unlike a grocery chain would. Lastly, PetSmart focuses on creating a customer experience efficient and consistent every time. To do this, employees ensure that customer check-out lines are never than long, and that popular products are always in stock.

Sources:

http://www.petsmart.com/

http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/PETsMART_(PETM)/Strategy

Blog Post #1: Welcome to the World of PetSmart

PetSmart is the nation’s leader in pet care supplies for pets and “pet parents” with more than 10,000 products on their shelves.  The company offers numerous services as well, including grooming, adoption services, veterinary care, doggie day-camps, and pet hotels. 

PetSmart opened its doors in Arizona for the first time under the name PetFood Warehouse in 1987.  By 1989, the company began offering other amenities, such as their bird, fish, and small pet departments, and decided the best way to encompass everything that they offer was to change the name of their brand to PETsMart.  PETsMart grew rapidly, opening its’ 50^th store in 1992.  Just a year later in 1993, PETsMart went public on the NASDAQ stock market under ticket symbol PETM.  Today, PetSmart operates more than 1,200 stores in 48 states and Canada, and brought in more than $6.9 Billion in revenue in 2014. 

One of PetSmart’s biggest achievements was helping save over five million pets since 1994 through PetSmart Charities.  PetSmart Charities is an independent, nonprofit organization that saves the lives of homeless pets, and reduces shelter intake through spay and neuter efforts.  In 2012 alone, more than 450,000 pets found homes through the organization’s adoption centers, and more than $28 million was given to pets in need throughout The United States.

The mission statement of this multi-billion dollar company is “To provide Total Lifetime Care for every pet, every parent, every time – which means that we offer solutions, superior products, unmatched services and superb customer service.”

Defining PetSmart’s target market is a little difficult, as one could just say “anyone who has a dog, cat, parakeet, hamster, goldfish… etc,” but I am going to do my best to break it down.  After viewing a map of where every PetSmart location is, I quickly discovered that most locations are located in urban and suburban areas.  PetSmart does an excellent job of offering items and services for every income level, though, the majority of people who spend their hard-earned money to pamper their pets are middle class to upper class folks.