P2- Information Architecture: Enhancing A Pet Store’s Online Presence
In my second UXDI project I took on creating an e-commerce experience. I worked with the existing site for Kriser’s Natural Pet, the pet store I use regularly. This made for an extra challenge because not only does Kriser’s not currently have an e-commerce store, they have no interest in creating one. I needed to look into other options that would yield similar results.

In my research I sent out a brief qualtrics survey to a dog group I’m involved with. The survey was focused on owners who feed natural or special diet food. Most importantly, I needed to know where they shop and why.



I found that many more people than I anticipated buy in store and local. From there I took on the most common keyword throughout the survey responses: “convenience.”
A pet owner that feeds natural or non-traditional food not sold in big box stores needs a way to view food options, read ingredients, and check availability at the Krisers store nearest them.
Krisers needs a way for potential and returning customers to familiarize themselves with their products prior to entering the store.
From here I had to go off of what I consider to be convenient. What I found inconvenient about their current site is their lack of information regarding products. It may not seem important to list product information when you aren’t selling them online, but I believe that potential customers may want to read up about their products before entering the store.

It’s important to note that the majority of the foods they carry are only carried in local stores, not Amazon, Petco or Chewy. So if Kriser’s doesn’t have the food in stock, the customers may have no other place to turn. And that’s why I wanted to add an availability feature. This feature would allow site users to check the availability of a product within a certain zip code. It could potentially save a trip to the store, or direct them to a different store in areas like Chicago where there are more than one Kriser’s store.
From there I upgraded their current grooming page. Since prices vary based on breed, location, and service, it would not make sense to make a book online feature. But I felt current clients would need more information or a way to request information other than making calls. So I added a simple contact form that would request a quote.

After user testing, I moved the About page from the footer to the header.

Conclusion:
Kriser’s is not at this moment interested in creating an online e-commerce store, catering to the entire country.
However, by adding in-stock and request quote options, they can cater to their current and potential customers- which is where they thrive. When a pet owner switches their pet’s diet to all natural or special diet food, it is a personal and tailored experience that the owner, vet, and possibly store are involved in. That is one of Kriser’s values: being committed to knowing their customers by name, providing excellent customer service, and an overall positive experience. And that is what the Kriser’s customers expect from their store.
Adding in-stock and quote options would not change who Kriser’s is, it is a small but powerful tool to increase convenience for the customers and the employees. The only maintenance it would require would be regularly updating the site as product comes in and out of stock.
