Frustration in the Cattery! (Let's rant ;))

[Tad Carlucci]

The question for breedables is rarely supply/demand. We can take it as a forgone conclusion that supply will always exceed demand. Any portion of the market which depends upon supply/demand will see dropping prices. When we examine the supply/demand portion of the market, the primary effect we note is a strong relationship between time-since-discovery and price.

In economics, there are a number of 'marginal utilities' .. things which increase values.

Time and place utility are often cited because they are fairly simple to see. For breedables, time utility is having the specimen a potential purchaser wants, when they want it. The most obvious example of this are the "love tables." There are other time utilities, such as age, which can both increase, and decrease value.

Place utility is having the product at a location where the potential purchaser wants it or, at least, can find it. Market stalls and auction rings are one form of place utility .. as is taking your specimen TO the customer's location.

Another marginal utility often cited in breedables is akin to functional utility .. that is, for breedables, the specimen offered in the marketplace has the proper gender, fur, eyes, or traits, to meet a potential customer's individual needs. One functional utility often desired is "in the box"; another, less often sought, is "already perma-petted."

While complaints about low prices are rampant, there is little to nothing anyone can do to successfully push prices higher other than work to improve the marginal utility of your offerings. Not only do we see complaints about low and falling prices, but we see suggestions that certain functional features should be concentrated upon, instead.

My suggestion is that all these suggestions are correct .. in as far as they go .. but they are incorrect in the presentation that any one solution is somehow better or more appropriate than any other.

Instead, I believe that a successful marketing plan would include all ALL aspects. One should push to attempt to discover, and quickly develop new deliveries; one should push to combine traits and non-traits into functional combinations customers might desire; one should pay close attention to time-sensitive features (such as "love" and "age"); and one should strive to present their products in as many locations as possible, moving stock around often to ensure maximum exposure. Finally, one should attempt to devise marketing plans which include means of presenting ones offerings in ways that potential customers can find what they need, and see the advantages of your offerings over others, and set your products apart from others.