Loyalty programmes, used as a tool to improve brand loyalty among consumers, have grown in popularity in the South African business environment. Loyalty programmes are essential in understanding customers and to keep customers involved while promoting a brand simultaneously. Although loyalty programmes are also being utilised in the pet food industry, information of the impact it has had on brand loyalty of pet food brands are limited. It is for this reason that the loyalty programme of a leading premium pet food brand, Eukanuba South Africa, has been chosen for the study, to establish how brand loyalty manifests itself in the pet food market. The aim of the study set out is therefore to establish what brand loyalty constructs are more important to loyalty programme members, assisting in tailoring the brand’s marketing methods to attract and retain loyal customers. Moolla and Bisschoff’s conceptual brand loyalty model and questionnaire were adapted and utilised to measure nine brand loyalty constructs through 38 questions. The nine constructs measured include brand relevance, perceived value, brand trust, involvement, family/culture, commitment, repeat purchase, brand affect and switching cost/risk aversion. The empirical study consisted of two independent groups, the Loyalty Programme members and the Breeders’ club members. A convenience sample of 1066 Loyalty Programme members were utilised, with 209 respondents. Access was granted to the entire database of breeders, consisting of 1047 breeders, of which 205 responded. The data was analysed utilising statistical calculations, including the Kaiser-Meyer- Olkin measure of sampling adequacy, the Bartlett’s test of sphericity, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient, mean values and Spearman’s Correlation. The data was also subjected to a factor analysis with Varimax rotation, which resulted in two conceptual frameworks, one relating to Loyalty Programme members, the other to Breeders’ club members. The results indicate that there are variations from the nine factors adapted from Moolla and Bisschoff’s conceptual model, but that the new conceptual models are reliable. The new conceptual model consisting of nine factors could be established for the Loyalty Programme members, including brand relevance, brand trust, involvement, family/culture, commitment, repeat purchase, brand affect, switching cost/perceived value and risk aversion. These nine factors explain 66.61% of the cumulative variance, indicating that these nine factors are sufficient in explaining brand loyalty among Loyalty Programme members. The seven factors identified forming part of the conceptual model for the Breeders’ club members are brand relevance, commitment, involvement, brand trust, family/culture, repeat purchase and brand affect. These seven factors have also been found to be sufficient in explaining brand loyalty among Breeders’ club members, with a cumulative variance of 63.57%. It can be concluded that the Loyalty Programme members are not representative of the population due to the limited sample, whereas that of the Breeders’ club members are as the entire population formed part of the study. It is therefore recommended that a representative sample of Loyalty Programme members should be included in future research. This will also aid in the construction of a customer profile for both Loyalty Programme members and Breeders’ Club members that is accurate and reliable, aiding in future marketing endeavours. Managerial attention is also necessary to ensure adequate emphasis is given to different factors, as the two groups will respond differently to brand loyalty constructs. The study contributes to the body of knowledge relating to brand loyalty in the pet food industry, helping in understanding which brand loyalty constructs are vital in improving and maintaining brand loyalty. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Loyalty programmes, used as a tool to improve brand loyalty among consumers, have grown in popularity in the South African business environment. Loyalty programmes are essential in understanding customers and to keep customers involved while promoting a brand simultaneously. Although loyalty programmes are also being utilised in the pet food industry, information of the impact it has had on brand loyalty of pet food brands are limited. It is for this reason that the loyalty programme of a leading premium pet food brand, Eukanuba South Africa, has been chosen for the study, to establish how brand loyalty manifests itself in the pet food market. The aim of the study set out is therefore to establish what brand loyalty constructs are more important to loyalty programme members, assisting in tailoring the brand’s marketing methods to attract and retain loyal customers. Moolla and Bisschoff’s conceptual brand loyalty model and questionnaire were adapted and utilised to measure nine brand loyalty constructs through 38 questions. The nine constructs measured include brand relevance, perceived value, brand trust, involvement, family/culture, commitment, repeat purchase, brand affect and switching cost/risk aversion. The empirical study consisted of two independent groups, the Loyalty Programme members and the Breeders’ club members. A convenience sample of 1066 Loyalty Programme members were utilised, with 209 respondents. Access was granted to the entire database of breeders, consisting of 1047 breeders, of which 205 responded. The data was analysed utilising statistical calculations, including the Kaiser-Meyer- Olkin measure of sampling adequacy, the Bartlett’s test of sphericity, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient, mean values and Spearman’s Correlation. The data was also subjected to a factor analysis with Varimax rotation, which resulted in two conceptual frameworks, one relating to Loyalty Programme members, the other to Breeders’ club members. The results indicate that there are variations from the nine factors adapted from Moolla and Bisschoff’s conceptual model, but that the new conceptual models are reliable. The new conceptual model consisting of nine factors could be established for the Loyalty Programme members, including brand relevance, brand trust, involvement, family/culture, commitment, repeat purchase, brand affect, switching cost/perceived value and risk aversion. These nine factors explain 66.61% of the cumulative variance, indicating that these nine factors are sufficient in explaining brand loyalty among Loyalty Programme members. The seven factors identified forming part of the conceptual model for the Breeders’ club members are brand relevance, commitment, involvement, brand trust, family/culture, repeat purchase and brand affect. These seven factors have also been found to be sufficient in explaining brand loyalty among Breeders’ club members, with a cumulative variance of 63.57%. It can be concluded that the Loyalty Programme members are not representative of the population due to the limited sample, whereas that of the Breeders’ club members are as the entire population formed part of the study. It is therefore recommended that a representative sample of Loyalty Programme members should be included in future research. This will also aid in the construction of a customer profile for both Loyalty Programme members and Breeders’ Club members that is accurate and reliable, aiding in future marketing endeavours. Managerial attention is also necessary to ensure adequate emphasis is given to different factors, as the two groups will respond differently to brand loyalty constructs. The study contributes to the body of knowledge relating to brand loyalty in the pet food industry, helping in understanding which brand loyalty constructs are vital in improving and maintaining brand loyalty. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

En el Perú, el bienestar y la salud de los perros han adquirido mayor atención e importancia en los últimos años. De ahí que la industria PET haya crecido tanto en nuestro país. No obstante, a pesar de la amplia oferta de complementos nutricionales para perros, aún no existen complementos líquidos que permitan una rápida absorción de nutrientes. Es así que surge la idea de Cool Dog, un proyecto de negocio que se dedicará a la importación, distribución y comercialización de un producto innovador para el mercado PET. El principal objetivo de la empresa es mejorar la calidad de vida de los perros a través de una bebida nutricional hecha a base de vitaminas y componentes naturales. El potencial del negocio se validó a través de investigación de campo de tipo cualitativa y experimentos de producto. En la etapa inicial del proyecto, la cobertura de la empresa se concentrará en solo tres zonas de Lima Metropolitana; sin embargo, se planea ampliar la cobertura en los años posteriores. Las ventas se realizarán a través de dos canales: el canal directo (página web) y el canal indirecto (veterinarias asociadas). Ambos informarán al cliente final sobre el producto y absolverán dudas. El precio de venta es elevado debido al valor percibido del producto y a que la frecuencia de ingesta recomendada es semanal. No obstante, el análisis financiero muestra que las proyecciones son rentables para los socios accionistas e inversionistas, por lo que el negocio es viable y perdurable en el tiempo. / In Peru, the well-being and health of dogs have gained greater attention and importance over the recent years. This explains why the pet industry has grown so much in our country. However, despite the wide variety of nutritional supplements for dogs, currently, there are still no liquid supplements that allow rapid nutrients absorption. This is how the project of Cool Dog was born, a business idea that will be dedicated to the import, distribution and commercialization of an innovative product for the pet market. The company’s main objective is to improve the quality of life of dogs through a nutritional beverage with vitamins and made from natural components. The potential of this business idea was validated through field research and product experiments. In the initial stage of the project, the company's coverage will be concentrated in only three areas of Lima Metropolitan area; however, the coverage will be expanded in the following years of the project. Sales are mainly done through two channels: the direct channel (website) and the indirect channel (associated veterinarians). Both channels will inform the end customer about the product characteristics and answer their doubts. The sales price is high due to the perceived value of the product and because the suggested intake frequency is weekly. However, the financial analysis shows that the projections are profitable for both the shareholders and the investors, so the main conclusion is that business is viable and durable over time. / Trabajo de investigación