Community Perceptions

of the VetIndustry

Ref: 4730Summary Presentation

Presented by Michael Trigwell Taverner Research 10 April 2014

Project overview

Sample details

Vet usage

Perceptions of the vet industry

Pet insurance

Media exposure

Fee comparisons

Summary

direction

3 sample groups

607 pet owners

108 previous pet owners

107 never owned a pet

Capital City Not a capital city, but a city with

more than 100,000 population

A smaller centre or town

More than 5km from the nearest town or village

62%

15%19%

4%

SAMPLE DETAILS

Location %

NSW & ACT 22

VIC & TAS 34

QLD 21

SA 11

WA 11

NT 1

Male35%

Fe-male65%

GenderAge %

18-24 7

25-34 20

35-44 23

45-54 21

55-64 18

65+ 10

Remoteness of Respondents

Education Level %

University or higher 36

TAFE/vocational/trade cert. 32

Year 12 18

Year 10 12

No formal qualification 2

22%

12% 11%

67%

SAMPLE DETAILS

Yes38%

No62%

Children Aged Under 18 in the Household

Adults in the household %

Only 1 18

Two 58

Three 14

More than three 10

Government Assistance

Over $2,000 Over $1,000, but over $2,000

would be very difficult

Over $500, but over $1,000

would be very difficult

Over $200, but over $500 would be very difficult

Even $200 would be very difficult to find

quickly

40%

18%15%

10%

17%

Ability to Fund Unexpected Expense

Up to $20k a year

Over $20k up to $35k a year

Over $35k up to $50k a year

Over $50k up to $80k a year

Over $80k a year

9%

16% 16%

23%

36%Household Income

7%

13%

25%

15%11%

29%After Tax Income Spent on Housing

pet ownership

NUMBER OF PETS OWNED

Have one pet Have two pets Have three or more pets

43%

28% 30%

more than half of pet owners own

more than one pet

Multiple pet ownership is lower in capital cities 49% than other locations 70%

TYPE OF PETS OWNED

95%

70%

55%

24%20%

8% 7%3%

95% of all pet owners

own a cat or a dog

Significantly higher amongst 18-24 year olds 23% than others 7%

vetusage

4%of all pet owners have NEVER* used a vet

18%of all pet owners have not used a vet in the past 12 months** 14% for Dog owners up to 32% amongst small warm blooded animal owners

* 1% for Dog owners up to 11% amongst small warm blooded animal owners

77%

Vet UsageServices UsedProportion of pet owners who have used a service on at least one of their pets

For vaccination or booster shot

63% To be de-sexed

57% For a general check-up

Frequency of Vet UsageNumber of times pet owners have visited a vet in the past 12 months.

Key information about usage of vets

To implant an ID chip

To treat an injury

45%

45%

14% To treat diarrhoea or vomiting

13%When the pet was listless & not eating properly for more than a week

None Once Twice Three or more times

18%

33%27%

21%

9% Other

Regular Vet Usage

A vet practice I usually go to

whenever I need a vet

A particular vet I see

I rarely or never see a vet

I go to whichever vet practice is

convenient at the time

49%

28%

13% 10%

62%of all pet owners identified at least one barrier to taking their pet for an annual check up

TOP 5 BARRIERS TO VET USAGE FOR AN ANNUAL CHECK UP

58%Cost of vet fees

23%Expectation of exposure to ‘upselling’

21%Cost of pet health insurance

16%Not having pet health insurance

15%Ability to access at convenient times

perceptions ofthe vet industry

Medical specialists GPs Lawyers Trades people like plumbers and

electricians

Physiotherapists Other groups I don't compare vet fees with any

other groups

36%

29%

18%

12%9%

3%

30%

Proportion Who Said They Trust Almost All or Most

Compared to Other Professions Vet Fees Are…

Unreasonably high

High, but reasonable

In line with others

Low

22%29%

46%

4%

Professions Vet Fees are Compared To

GPs Nurses Vets Pharmacists Accountants Lawyers Financial Planners

71% 68% 65% 65%

47%41% 38%

OVER SERVICING/UPSELLING

20%All the time

or quite often

39%Not very often

PERCEPTIONS OF THE VALUE OF UPSELLING RECOMMENDATIONS

Worthwhile suggestions made for the good of my pet

Not really needed Much too expensive Not good enough value for money

47%

22%18%

13%

no ‘value’ according to 53%

pet insurance

78%

aware

12%uptake

Amongst all pet owners (15%) amongst those aware

SEGMENTS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE TAKEN UP PET INSURANCE

21%Frequent users (3+ times per year)

35%Exposed to ‘Choice’ articles

media exposure

Media Coverage

SubscriptionsProportion of pet owners who subscribe or read Choice

8% Of total pet owners exposed

Exposure to Vet Service Articles

Exposure and impact

Radio and TV Exposure

31% 29%23%

14%

46%

Subscriber Regularly get to read, but don't

subscribe

No access

4%10%

86%

56% Of subscribers and readers

Type of Articles About VetsGeneral coverage of topics in Choice that pet owners who recall seeing articles about vets can recall

N=49

49% Articles about over-servicing

37% Articles critical of cost of vet fees

29% Articles about the regulation of vet fees

18% Negative 28% Positive

feecomparisons

Considering the Training Required Vet Fees Compared to Doctor Fees Are…

7%

44%

33%

15%

Very reasonable Understandable even if they can be

hard to afford

A bit higher than seems reasonable

Unreasonably high

7%

36% 38%

18%

Considering the Investment in Premises & Equipment Vet Fees Compared to Doctor Fees Are…

Considering How Much I Enjoy and Care About My Pets Vet Fees Seem…

Good value Acceptable A bit higher than seems reasonable

Unreasonably high

7%

42%37%

13%

summary

Summary

FINDINGPet owners are making a lot of decisions themselves about the seriousness of the illness or injury to their pet. This is often due to not wanting or being able to afford the “un-necessary expense”.

However when the illness is deemed serious, the love for the pet ensures treatment is sought.IMPLICATIONSome pets may not be getting the treatment that they require as pet owners try to self diagnose due to concerns about vet fees.

Summary

FINDINGSConcern about vet fees is widespread in that there

is no single group who are more concerned than

other groups about this. It’s not directly related to

household income or disposable income.

This also isn’t related to being a pet owner or not,

it’s a community view.

IMPLICATIONS

Pet owners will still pay vet fees, when the deem it

necessary, however they are questioning the value

of some fees and concern exists about ‘over-

servicing’ in the industry.

SummaryFINDINGPet owners who have a regular vet or vet practice they visit place greater trust in the industry.

IMPLICATIONCustomer relationships are crucial in assisting overcoming any negative perceptions about vet fees.

Presented by Michael TrigwellTaverner Research 10 April 2014* All image rights owned by Shutterstock

“I wanted to wait a day and see what happens as long as I knew it wasn’t dangerous, I would never put my animals in any danger”