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hi everyone!

i'm a student (and avid aquarist!) who is currently studying graphic design for marketing. this september i am entering the final year of my degree. as part of the last two semesters, we have to complete a self-directed project in which we decide the topic, scope, requirements, etc...

anyhow, long story short, i jumped at the chance to incorporate my love of fish into my love of design. so, in an effort to come up with a project that could include them both i came up with the concept of hypothetically 'relaunching' my favorite local pet store as 'fish only' rather than attempting to compete in the 'general pet' category.

this relaunch will include an ad campaign to reposition the store as 'fish authorities' as well as new, detailed tank signage, product packaging, etc...

anyhow, to cut to the case, i need your help as fellow 'fishy people' regarding research...

i am mainly curious as to what you feel is lacking in the hobby (that could be provided/improved by fish stores), as well as what, if anything, stores could do that you feel would increase your success and enjoyment of the hobby.

on the other hand, i was wondering if anyone knows (firsthand or otherwise) the impact that 'big box' stores have on ma & pa shops (ie: statistics as to loss of customers, profit, etc...) as i feel that this 'relaunch' and 'refocus' would allow said small store to better compete against the larger stores.

hope this all makes sense!

in any case, i would appreciate any insights, ideas, critisms or suggestions you may have as to the viability of this project, etc... as well as any extra info you may feel is relevant!

thanks in advance guys!
wish me luck

Hmmm... I hope I can help here. Let's see well the hobby is mostly flawless. I love every last bit of fishkeeping. I think fish stores need to increase their range of fish. Most stores I visit are lacking many species. Fishkeeping has improved much since several years and still improving. Some day we might be able to keep virtually any fish from anywhere, ranging from the hardest to keep fish to werll, the easy ones.

I think Big Pet stores such as, PetSma** and Pect** are ruining the hobby. For Example, There might be an inspiring fishkeeper who is reject by the cruel reality after a week of keeping a fish from a big store dying. This reality is that Those small stores are becoming more and more harder to find (Who carry healthy fish, most of the time). These big petstores are becoming an monopoly and are not only putting small stores out of business but putting poor quality fish into the trade.

Sorry if it sounds all mixed up... Hope I helped!

Chris

i find a lack of experienced and knowledgable staff are a problem
For ppl looking to get into the hobby who stroll down to their LFS looking to buy the whole package..tank..fish..equipment the store is happy to make the sale but should really be informing the customer that its not as easy as filling with water and adding fish.. it takes cycling.. checking water parameters.. the correct stocking of type and amount of fish..etc.
when i first decided to get into fishkeeping i had no clue and thought you could just throw it together and instant tank but found out in a very expensive way that it just doesnt happen that way!

Finding certain species is always difficult as well as garofoli mentioned. i see so many different species on the net and in books and have never seen them in the many stores i visit..

personally on the 'big' stores vs the smaller fish stores i suppose the bigger stores are able to offer products at discounted prices but i prefer to shop at the smaller independant stores as they are usually more knowledgable and offer healthier fish.

hope this helps!

---

Truth doesn't always win friends but it influences them

See if I am correct.
You are relaunching a general petstore into a LFS only.
This is to be done in a graphic promotion only?
Is there any other form of promotion to be done at all if not it could be extremly difficuly to put graphically all the necessary infomation that will be eye catching yet simple?
The basics a good LFS must have is highly trained staff at all times.
Quality at a price.
A very good range of all stock from beginners to the experienced.
A gimic could be free instore classes for beginners if they buy a new full set up.
Free testing and a full record kept in store for future reference.
This list could go on a lot further but try to get this in one graphic promotion could be rather difficult.

My experience in modern graphics is basically nil, What I did way way back before the use of the home computers was teach at the very begining of Graphic communications as it was called then lets say very early 1960s. But the basics still apply today.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

outside of the fish themselves and stocking, i'de say good hardware isn't an easy thing to find some times. I've had to custom order in so many things from the coast that it's getting absurd. If your competition doesn't have undergrav heaters, UV sterilizers, or co2 components, be sure to stock them! you don't have to stock pile this stuf, just get it in so people know you have it. if your area is suffering from mediocre pet stores stocking the usual stuf, going a step above them will probably earn you a nice bit of return customers who know their fish. On the other hand if you're anywhere near vancouver, i've got no clue how you'de pull it off.

I'm fortunate where I am in one respect. When the big DIY chains decided to move into pets (including fish), they dropped several VERY big clangers and ended up appearing on television documentaries that more or less flushed their plans down the toilet (my fellow UK Board members might remember the Watchdog episode with the surplus hamsters being used as baseballs ... ???)

So, their foray into the pet trade has died a death. So, the only places I have near me that sell fish are ... my venerable small pet shop I've been using for 30-odd years (established way back in 1918 and still running) and the recently arrived branch of Maidenhead Aquatics (which is far enough away to require logistical planning just to visit it).

While Maidenhead Aquatics qualifies as a 'large' dealership in terms of stock and financial muscle, alongside the supermarket chains such as Wal-Mart it's microscopic. And, it has staff that know their stuff. Though occasionally someone like me can still catch them out on obscure species! But they try (and largely succeed) to deliver something akin to a decent service and reasonably sane advice while keeping the tills ringing.

My venerable small pet store wins in terms of customer service, though, because the people in charge not only make an effort to deliver a personal touch to an extent that a large combine can only dream of (and again largely succeed), but they're willing to take advice from old hands at the game (e.g., me ) as well. Having just sold them a batch of Panda Corys that remained alive and kicking despite a near-record heatwave that wiped out several other fishes in his tanks also helped by the way

So, stressing what might be termed the 'social networking' aspect of the hobby, and the passing of information on from those who have been there, done that, made the mistakes and thus are in a position to stop the newcomers experiencing the same disasters ... the kind of in depth education you won't get from the frazzled minimum wage slaves at Wal-Mart because they're too busy running around ragged trying to earn enough to remain just above the poverty line while enduring the latest yuppie business school wheeze that the manager has decided is the 'in thing' of the moment. Oh, since Wal-Mart made inroads into the UK and took over Asda, I've seen some examples of management fads running riot that are prime sitcom material ... cue much head shaking from the "poor bloody infantry" ...

Now you have a problem. How do you convey the dispensing of sagely advice and the steering of the customer away from catastrophe graphically?

Well, if you want ideas, I could mail you a copy of the article I wrote for here entitled An Aquarium Is Not A TV, which should provide you with some pointers ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

this is great so far, guys! thanks so much; you've raised some interesting points. it's really valuable to hear opinions from people at different stages in the hobby, areas of expertise, etc... etc...

a quick note, however: i just want to clarify that this is a 'hypothetical' relaunching... i'm not actually approaching the store in question with this proposal (not at this point anyways!).

out of curiousity, does anyone know of any studies/surveys that have been done that actually calculate the impact on sales that big box stores have? that would be very interesting, too.

keep the good stuff coming! thanks

Being someone who has worked in the area of customer service since that age of fourteen and has a background in visual arts, I have to say that providing exceptional customer service is number one. A few months ago, I was in my LFS looking at fish. I had been in there for at least 15 minutes and no one had spoken to me at all, let alone offer to help me with anythng. (and they were not busy at all) After about 15 - 20 minutes, the owner came up to me and said, "You know if you want someone to help you, you need to come and get one of us." Needless to say, I haven't been back. Can you imagine if one of my servers at the restaurant said that to one of our diners? Wouldn't they be asking for me in a hurry!!

I want to stress that one shouldn't blame employees all of the time. They are only as good as their management makes them. Management makes a business, end of story.

All that aside, if your concerns are primarily visual, consider the following. . .

You should present a pleasing, harmonious image.

The store/surroundings should be neat, clean and attractive.

Images of neat, clean employees interacting with customers

All images containing fish pictures should contain healthy tanks and livestock.

When considering the small ma & pop shop vs. the chain, IMO it comes down to knowledge and personal service vs. overwhelmed simi-service from people with good intentions/like animals but may or may not be well informed and have a huge line of impatient customers to deal with.

Sorry if this has become a rant. It has been a long couple of weeks for me. I hope that it is some help to you

Kat

- Meow -