Idea Napkin No. 2

My Idea Napkin: The Purrfect Litter Box

1) My name is Kristine Donnelly and I would consider myself to be an innovator. I have more than three years of working in retail and due to this experience, I have great customer service skills; I understand what customers want. When I am not at work, I am in school as an advertising major. My main goal in life is to become and advertising executive for a major advertising agency in Boston, Ma. I also plan to manage my innovations, such as The Purrfect Litter Box, on the side. Innovating may be a hobby in my eyes, but I plan to take it more seriously than crocheting.

2) I am offering a new lease on life to cat owners with this product. The elevated feature of the litter box keeps the owners from bending over and getting on their hands and knees; this will prevent back pain for all ages. It also helps keep dogs and young children out of the litter box. In addition, the product is easily movable because it is on wheels (comes with locks).

3) The demographic of my customers includes three sections. The first section is the elderly who own cats; they are typically over 50-years-old, female, and possibly have arthritis-like pain. The second section includes people who own both cats and dogs; their ages are typically spread from mid-20s to the upper-40s. The third section of the demographics includes families with small children and at least one cat in the home; this age group is usually between mid-20s and mid-30s.

4) Why should customers care? I will show you, not just tell you, with three different stories.

            1. Jennifer is worried about her 70-year-old mother, Edna. Edna has arthritis and owns a cat, Belle. Jennifer is worried that Edna will bend down one day to clean the litter box, but not get back up. Jennifer comes across this new product, The Purrfect Litter Box. "Perfect!" screams Jennifer. Ten years down the line, Edna is still alive and bonds with Belle everyday; Jennifer is happy knowing that her mother is doing well.

            2. Bob lives alone in his apartment. He has one cat and one dog. His cat's name is Treble. His dog is a dachshund named Sparky. When Bob is working, Sparky likes to jump around in and eat out of Treble's litter box. Bob comes home from work to a sick dog and a messy apartment. Bob is driving to work the next day when he hears a commercial for The Purrfect Litter Box on the radio. He buys one on his way home and brings it back to his apartment. Sparky is disgruntled when Bob is at work because now he can't get into the litter box. He can't even push the cart around because the wheels are locked. Bob comes back to find Sparky playing with a chew toy, not cat feces. Sparky is happy to not be sick and finds the chew toy to be more entertaining. Bob is happy to see that Sparky is well and his apartment is not a disaster.

            3. Anne and Rob are new to parenting and live in a single-story home with their 9-month-old daughter, Jessica and their cat, Pepper. Pepper uses the litter box that is placed in the kitchen. Jessica is starting to walk and is getting fast. When Anne is at Work, Rob is home taking care of Jessica. Rob has a sneezing fit and next thing he knows, Jessica is nose deep in the litter box. Rob freaks out and takes Jessica straight to the hospital. She did not consume anything, luckily. On their way home, Rob stops at the store and picks up The Purrfect Litter Box. Anne comes home to an exhausted Rob, a sleeping Pepper, and a wide-awake Jessica. What is Jessica doing? She is trying to get into the litter box but can't; it is too high up for her.


5) What sets me apart from others is that I innovated on the cat litter box. I did not make it electronic like some, but simply taller. The issue with going on your knees to clean the litter box has been around for ages; unlike others, I decided to find a solution to this problem.


I believe that these elements fit well together. My experience in retail helps tremendously in understanding my customers. I offer a solution to an ongoing problem and can easily identify my target markets. Instead of telling why customers should care, I show them why; this strategy is creating a personal connection to my customers. As a person with great customer service skills, I know that making a personal connection is the key factor in getting your customer to buy the product. Also, my product is an innovation on the ordinary litter box; by making one major adjustment to it, I solve a problem for my potential customers.


Feedback memo:

Honestly, all my feedback was positive; there was not a single ounce of criticism. It made editing my Idea Napkin difficult; I did make some changes here and there, but nothing significant. Five main points that I took away from my feedback were:

1) I was told that my customer service and retail will help a lot with building my product.

2) I was told that I did a great job on describing "why customers should care" and the examples I provided give great insight.

3) Someone said that they really liked by approach and enthusiasm.

4) I was told that due to knowing what customers want, advertising is the best major for me.

5) I was told that with this product, I can provide a lot of people with a good solution to the problem that feline owners have.

I attempted to incorporate my feedback into this Idea Napkin. I kept my enthusiasm and approach; I used the same three scenarios for "why customers should care" with minor editing. My customer service skills are still in existence; also, advertising is still my major of choice. I added an extra piece in "what I am offering to customers"; I mentioned that instead of just dogs, both dogs and small children will not be able to get into The Purrfect Litter Box.