Parrots of the World; An e-commerce solution to Long Island's most unique pet shop, and breeder of exotic animals.
Overview
Picture This:
You're a loyal customer of Parrots of the World, and a resident of Nassau County. You've trusted their expertise on pet owner ship and care for years, and you've counted on them for supplies on a monthly basis to feed all of your pets. The time has come where you're moving out of Nassau County, and now you will be too far away to visit Parrots of the World to buy supplies. You could easily order them online from other pet stores, but you'd rather remain a loyal customer to Parrots of the World. You trust the owner Marc Marrone and all of the knowledge he has bestowed upon you, and you want to continue to support your local business. The issue is that although they have a website, an e-commerce platform simply does not exist. Your dogs will soon need feeding, and your cats will need litter. What should you do?
The Problem:
Current and future pet owners need a knowledgeable and reliable resource for gathering trustworthy information about caring for their pets, and what to expect in preparation for future pet ownership. Animal lovers alike would prefer purchasing materials and supplies from the same resource that they trust for such advice, but because of the pandemic, they are unable to travel to the store in person, and would prefer buying online.
The Solution:
Introduce an e-commerce web page for Parrots of the World by giving customers the option to purchase all the pet supplies that they need online with convenience, variety, and specificity, all of which from a trusted and knowledgeable source. Implementing e-commerce into this already successful business will market returning loyal customers, as well as an entirely new range of customers that are current and future pet owners. Drawn by the rich history and unique background associated with Parrots of the World, customers will have a new “oasis” to shop for their pets on a website that is already esthetically pleasing, and informative.
Welcome Page
Create your account and log in, or shortcut your way to search for products, store locations, and checkout with your shopping cart as a guest.
Home Page
Select which breed and species you're shopping for to view specific categories and supplies from a-z. Expedite that process by searching for exactly what you're looking for.
Categorized Shopping Pages
Select the category of supplies that you're looking for specifically, and narrow your search based on size, quantity, and popularity.
Browse Items
Browse items you're looking for and filter results. View prices, availability, and estimated shipping.
Detailed Selected Items
View details, ingredients, reviews, and images. Select variety, size, and quantity.
Purchase Methods
Choose the option of a one time purchase, or to set up subscription plans to receive the items you need on a weekly or monthly basis.
Shopping Cart
View what's in your cart and make changes to quantity or type without leaving the page. Choose to continue shopping or to checkout.
Billing & Shipping Information
Enter billing and shipping information manually and save for future use, or choose to pay with Apple Pay.
Order Summary and Confirmation
View the details of your order and make changes before confirming. Receive discount codes for your next purchase.
Map Features & Veterinary Advice
Use the map feature to locate stores, as well as veterinarians in your area.
Get to know the owner and receive veterinary advice.
Watch Videos and Read Reviews
Watch educational video appearances of Marc Marrone and Martha Stewart.
Read reviews of Parrots of the World.
About Us
Learn more about import and exporting exotic animals as well as ordering pets from breeders.
Contact Us
Contact Parrots of the World for Pet Availability and Order Information
FAQ, Store Hours, and Location
Don't be afraid to call and ask questions, or discover our address as well as store hours.
The Process:
Instantly I began to brainstorm;
What kind of product can I create that will assist new and old customers of Parrots of the World in purchasing pet supplies online from the comfort of their home?. How can I help them avoid the hassle of traveling to and from the store on a regular basis to buy supplies?
The solution was an obvious, build an e-commerce platform that represents their brand and the exclusive knowledge and expertise that they offer. Still the questions remain; what features are necessary to make the best possible product? Do customers need monthly shipping plans? Do they need referrals to local veterinarians?
I began by conducting research to understand how pet owners typically purchase supplies, and what qualities they look for when choosing brands. I realized that I needed to investigate what stressors make that process difficult, and discover what exactly can provide a simple and effective solution. To get a better understanding of our user problem, and target users, my research goals are to:
Discover any problems or obstacles they encounter when buying pet supplies.
Empathize by developing an understanding how important it is that pet owners provide and care for their pets in the best way possible.
Ideate a host of problem solving brainstorming sessions amongst designers to produce as many ideas as possible.
Define a solution based on tool(s) participants currently use to find and purchase pet supplies in juxtaposition to the solution Parrots of the World will provide.
Analyze user interviews by gathering insight into what the users needs, empathizing for their reasoning, and using such information to define user personas, affinity maps, and empathy maps.
Sketch wireframes to help me visualize the necessary path to conceptualize my solution .
Prototype my solution in low and high fidelities that will be reiterated, and refined, as I conduct several usability tests in the final stages of my research.
Test my solution amongst users to expose positive and negative characteristics, areas that need improvement, and overall determine the efficacy of my product.
The Research:
I issued several surveys, and conducted numerous user interviews in person amongst friends and family members, and even interviewed strangers in person locally on the corner of Park avenue in Rockville Centre where large amounts of people usually gather to shop and dine. I also interviewed new and old customers of Parrots of the World to gather enough research to prove why Parrots of the World would greatly benefit from having an e-commerce platform.
Research Questions
The same ten questions were administered amongst focus groups, 1-1 interviews, as well as online surveys.
I asked:
Are you a first time pet owner?
What breed is your pet?
What method of purchasing supplies benefits you the most?
Did you ever have an issue obtaining supplies or pet care advice?
Where would you materials in person or online?
Was your budget or price ever an issue?
How much do you usually spend per item, and have prices inflated?
What qualities do you look for when purchasing supplies? What makes the process easier?
Do you prioritize your pets health with visits to your veterinarian?
What is the most rewarding thing about being a pet owner?
Interview Insights
90% of individuals that I interviewed live locally on Long Island, know Parrots of the World as a household name. Recalling their affordability and pleasant experience, they would prefer to give Marc Marrone the business, instead of competitors that inflate prices.
"What I look for most is convenience. I don't like waiting online. I don't like having to rely on availability. I prefer to be able to order them and have them show up at my house. It makes one less process it's one less thing for me to do is to go to a pet store and stand in line and wait, and have them tell me it's not there anymore and have my time completely wasted if I can order it online and it comes to the door. That's what I appreciate the most."
"Honestly, price is a big issue for me. When I purchase pet supplies, I've been discouraged by going to the pet store, knowing the prices will be marked up opposed to the benefit of savings and deals when buying online."
"I want to make sure what Im feeding my pet is the best quality, obviously I don't want to be purchasing products that aren't health specific, that can be detrimental to their diet.
"I much rather support a local business that can provide me the best advice and information possible from a staff that truly cares."
User Persona
Forming a user persona of a fictional character allows me to represent the type of individual shop with Parrots of the World, and utilize the tools that the new platform will offer. It depicts a general idea of the users purpose, the obstacles they face, and the characteristics there of.
After receiving results from 3, 5 person focus groups, 6 1-1 in person interviews, and responses to 45 survey completions, I was able to discover that:
95% of participants revealed that they prefer to purchase pet supplies online and have them shipped directly to their door purely for convenience. Secondary motivations being deals and discounts that are typically only found online. The remaining 5% stated that they prefer the experience of purchasing items in store, preferring to get advice on which products best suit the needs of their pets.
100% of participants prefer to receive certain items such as food and wellness supplies on a shipment plan that delivers on a frequent basis, preventing the stress of forgetting to restock on supplies and running out.
87% of participants feel like most pet supply stores should be able to refer them to veterinarians in their area, and would like to see exotic breeder ship information offered online.
Throughout this process I was also able to gather statistical information on key demographics, technological influences, and economic forces, and how they might influence the budget and affordability of customers on the east coast.
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a comparative/competitive analysis with other pet supply stores online, where I discovered that only a select few offered information about pet ownership and veterinary care, while every single competitor offered online shopping as well as delivery cycles and shipment plans. Furthermore proving the point that Parrots of the World would acquire immense income from an online store.
From comparing and contrasting the likes of Pet Supplies Plus, Petco, PetSmart, Amazon, and Chewy, I have discovered important insights to support the solution that I have developed.
Pet supplies and pet food are the second and third leading categories for consumer packaged goods across the entire e-commerce industry. Since 2018, the online retail sales of pet supplies has grown to become 260% greater than the percent of pet supplies purchased in stores, meaning that consumers are twenty times as likely to buy food and supplies online. E-commerce solutions provide pet owners with convenience, variety, and a clear comparison of products. Consumers are motivated to shop online for the ability to do so anywhere, anytime. They are equally as likely to do so by finding value that is free from shipping, and access to a larger selection of items.
Marc Marrone, owner of Parrots of the World, has made a renowned career out of breeding, importing, and exporting exotic birds and mammals internationally to Central and South America, as well as Indonesia. With more than 35 years of experience, he is no stranger to the shipping process, and as a trusted name, his business would flourish by joining the e-commerce industry. Currently, Parrots of the World has a large inventory of pet supplies sitting on the shelves for months at a time, overstocked, and undersold.
This competitive analysis provides evidence on necessary features to be included in the platform. In order to build this e-commerce platform from scratch, I need to implement brand selections, product descriptions, categories, search functions with refined tools, scheduled deliveries, suggestions of variety, customer reviews, recommendations, rewards, and a FAQ help/assistance page, amongst several others.
About Parrots of the World
Parrots of the World was started in 1978 in Rockville Centre, New York, by Marc Marrone, as a small company that imports birds, mammals and reptiles from Central and South America, Africa and Indonesia. In 1986 the sale of birds imported to the United States was prohibited in New York State. Parrots of the World turned their attention to breeding birds here in the United States, working cooperatively with other bird breeders. Now, a major portion of their business revolves around exporting birds, mammals, and reptiles born here in the United States to other countries throughout the world so that they can be enjoyed as pets by people in such far off places as Japan, Chile and Denmark.
For the past 43 years, Parrots of the World features one of the largest selection of Parrots, Reptiles, Fish, Ferrets and Exotic Pets on Long Island, along with a wide selection of pet merchandise and supplies. Owned and operated by world-renown animal expert Marc Marrone, Parrots of the World is an oasis for a wide selection of hand fed animals and information about veterinary care. Some of which include Owls, Fruit Bats, Snakes, Iguanas, Giant Rabbits, and Kinkajou. Which I best describe as a cross between a squirrel, and a monkey. Marc Marrone is also a widely known television personality and animal expert, and has regularly appeared on the "Martha Stewart" television show on NBC as well as Sirius XM. Although Parrots of the World has a wide selection of supplies and merchandise, none of which are sold online, forcing customers to make purchases in store only.
THE RESEARCH: (continued)
Affinity Map
Map Insights
From synthesizing the results of my interviews into my affinity map, I have learned that pet owners all have the same priority in mind. While not all of them are cat and dog owners looking for the same items, they do share a nearly identical set of pros and cons for their ideal shopping experience. They have similar desires, preferences, and pain points, but ultimately they are looking to achieve the same goal. The care of their pets.
My closed sort card sorting determined that 3 out of 4 users were able to identify and sort all of the items listed without issues. 1 out of 4 had a hard time distinguishing the difference between foods and treats between categories. They were unsure if supplements and vitamins could be considered food.
My open sort card sorting determined that 2 out of four users felt more familiar seeing the term “wellness” as a general description for assisting an animals health opposed to vitamins or supplements, influencing me to change some of the terminology that I used.
User Flows
User Flow #1 allows users the opportunity to shop by brand before selecting items and proceeding to checkout.
User Flow #2 allows users the opportunity to shop by brand before selecting items and proceeding to checkout.
User Flow #3 simplifies and expedites the process even further by allowing the user to search for the specific item they desire before proceeding to checkout.
Site Map
My site map illustrates the 3 main key user flows and the role each plays with the rest of the system.
Wireframes
Sketching and wire-framing is the crucial step to putting your ideas on paper. It serves the purpose of visualizing your ideas so that you can begin to organize your thoughts in a manner that is that will not only depict stages, but also grow and become subject to change. During this process I was able to formulate the appearance of each user flow, and show how I intend certain features to operate.
Interactions
Interactions illustrate user flows and direction from page to page, with pinpoint accuracy.
First Iteration
Lo-fi wireframes make the initial prototype simple and easy to use from beginning to end. When observing the users first trial run of the product, the first usability test is administered upon completion to observe a rate of success, as well as errors. This process is repeated several times as different iterations and features are implemented based on responses from several users and efficacy of the product. This first iteration is based on a clickable prototype of the initial wireframe.
Final Prototype
The final prototype delivers a complete solution for the user that provides a tool to achieve required tasks in a successful manner. The user gets to engage with a high-fidelity prototype that is as visually appealing, as it is efficient, and purposeful.
RUN PROTOTYPE:
Final Prototype Overview
Usability Test Results
To my surprise my feedback was overwhelmingly positive in regards to the colorful visual design, as well as the interactions. A number of individuals told me they would prefer to use this product over many other competitors simply for the aesthetic design, and that in comparison to other products I've designed, this was their favorite.
The users took approximately 30 seconds to operate the task of purchasing the items they wanted specifically and an average of 4 minutes exploring the product in its entirety.
Users noticed minor clickable and scrollable errors as well as slightly slow loading times when transitioning from page to page All of which have been corrected. Since the latest Usability Test I have finished adding further content as well.
Moving Forward
The most important thing that needs to be done moving forward is to build out the information architecture of items and categories. Following that I need to expand upon the veterinarian referral basis by a implementing it with the map feature. When those elements have been 100% completed and I recieve yet another satisfactory usability test, I will present the entire product to Marc Marrone, as well as other stakeholders with Parrots of the World to bring this product to market.
