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Making quality pet food stand out from the pack
"Customers believe that when they buy a certain product, it’s coming from the brand, even though that’s not necessarily the case. So, obviously, the damage counterfeits do to your reputation is massive."
Daniel Scott
E-commerce Manager, Express Pet Supplies
Bone appetit!
When Express Pet Supplies was established, founder John Mason and E-commerce Manager Daniel Scott knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.
Pet owners are some of the most well-informed customers around — for a majority, the vet, not the internet, is the primary and most important source of information about their pet’s nutrition.
Research suggests that, when it comes to buying food for their furry friends, they give as much, if not more, priority to the quality of the ingredients than they do when they’re buying food for their own table.
This is why John and Daniel have made quality the hallmark of the Express Pet Supplies brand.
"We’re all about healthy, nutritious, all-natural food," says Daniel. "Our customers know that when they buy from us they’re getting the best quality ingredients possible."
Pet owners are some of the most well-informed customers around — for a majority, the vet, not the internet, is the primary and most important source of information about their pet’s nutrition.
Research suggests that, when it comes to buying food for their furry friends, they give as much, if not more, priority to the quality of the ingredients than they do when they’re buying food for their own table.
This is why John and Daniel have made quality the hallmark of the Express Pet Supplies brand.
"We’re all about healthy, nutritious, all-natural food," says Daniel. "Our customers know that when they buy from us they’re getting the best quality ingredients possible."
Keeping counterfeits off the menu
Having discerning customers means there’s very little leeway if bad actors decide to try to take advantage of a brand’s intellectual property and pass off a counterfeit version of a quality product instead.
Customers are so discerning, in fact, that food made at home from scratch is the pet food industry’s biggest competitor because customers are so emotionally invested in their pets’ well-being. Poor-quality or counterfeit products can challenge brands before they even get off the ground.
"Customers believe that when they buy a certain product, it’s coming from the brand, even though that’s not necessarily the case. So, obviously, the damage counterfeits do to your reputation is massive."
"At the end of the day, the customer is not aware of where the product is coming from. If they buy a certain brand, they expect to get exactly what they’re paying for."
Customers are so discerning, in fact, that food made at home from scratch is the pet food industry’s biggest competitor because customers are so emotionally invested in their pets’ well-being. Poor-quality or counterfeit products can challenge brands before they even get off the ground.
"Customers believe that when they buy a certain product, it’s coming from the brand, even though that’s not necessarily the case. So, obviously, the damage counterfeits do to your reputation is massive."
"At the end of the day, the customer is not aware of where the product is coming from. If they buy a certain brand, they expect to get exactly what they’re paying for."
From startup to serious player
Daniel and John’s strategy of putting high quality front and centre paid off.
Despite not having their own website until 2014 — a good 14 years after Express Pet Supplies first launched — the business grew steadily. And, says Daniel, this is mainly thanks to Amazon.
Despite not having their own website until 2014 — a good 14 years after Express Pet Supplies first launched — the business grew steadily. And, says Daniel, this is mainly thanks to Amazon.
We sold our products on a number of websites, but Amazon projected us forward. It was our biggest channel by far — 80% to 90% of our total turnover.Daniel ScottE-commerce Manager, Express Pet Supplies
Their success on Amazon encouraged them to take their brand to the next level. And the first step towards getting there was to register their logo and brand name as trademarks.
Building the brand
Once the Express Pet Supplies trademark was in place, they enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry. This enabled them to start protecting their brand and expand their Amazon presence significantly by enrolling in other brand- building programmes available to brand owners in Amazon Brand Registry.
"There are a number of benefits that come with joining Amazon Brand Registry. A+ Content and Sponsored Brands allow you to present your brand to a wider range of customers and really showcase what you can do. That helped us a lot to get across the quality of our products."
Crucially, joining Amazon Brand Registry paved the way for them to enrol in Transparency and start taking advantage of the brand protection benefits it affords.
"There are a number of benefits that come with joining Amazon Brand Registry. A+ Content and Sponsored Brands allow you to present your brand to a wider range of customers and really showcase what you can do. That helped us a lot to get across the quality of our products."
Crucially, joining Amazon Brand Registry paved the way for them to enrol in Transparency and start taking advantage of the brand protection benefits it affords.
“Transparency in one word? Brilliant!”
"Transparency enables the customer to physically check for themselves that what they’ve received is the genuine article. At the end of the day, what’s important is that the customer is happy, so this makes a huge difference."
With customer trust at top of mind, Express Pet Supplies became one of the first brands to share content via Transparency’s newly launched app-based customer engagement feature. Sharing more of their brand story and product information while customers check product authenticity has helped assure customers and cement the brand’s reputation, Daniel enthuses.
With customer trust at top of mind, Express Pet Supplies became one of the first brands to share content via Transparency’s newly launched app-based customer engagement feature. Sharing more of their brand story and product information while customers check product authenticity has helped assure customers and cement the brand’s reputation, Daniel enthuses.
Customer engagement is an opportunity to give customers more information about the products and also about the brand itself. Aside from reassuring your customers that they’re getting what they ordered, it keeps your message consistent, which solidifies the brand.
"Sales and the number of repeat customers has also increased - a ringing endorsement for the quality of Express Pet Supplies’ products."
All set for what’s ahead
With pet food sales set to soar in the next five years and their reputation on solid ground, Express Pet Supplies’ future is looking brighter than ever.
And it’s all down to Transparency.
"Transparency shows Amazon cares about protecting peoples’ brands and making sure inferior and counterfeit goods aren’t sold on their platform. And it also shows that you care about giving your customers the very best quality."
"I’d definitely recommend Transparency, because it has helped us grow significantly at a very small cost. It’s massively beneficial for what you pay."
And it’s all down to Transparency.
"Transparency shows Amazon cares about protecting peoples’ brands and making sure inferior and counterfeit goods aren’t sold on their platform. And it also shows that you care about giving your customers the very best quality."
"I’d definitely recommend Transparency, because it has helped us grow significantly at a very small cost. It’s massively beneficial for what you pay."
As an average, our sales have increased by 50% - this is down to our quality and the elimination of counterfeits from our products. We don't have to deal with the risk of counterfeits tarnishing our brand.
Get in touch with the Transparency team to learn more
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