July-August 2016 Oceania Edition

Business View Australia - July - August 2016 145 Supporting Partners DOG-E-TREATS dog-e-treat s.com. au Aqacenta aqacent a.com .au customer service and consistency is extremely important. Margaret notes that the big players are quite aggressive. They open an array of stores and attempt to compete on prices all the time. However, DOGUE is not interested in that kind of competition. “We don’t compete on price, we compete on quality”, suggests Margaret. Of course, getting people inside the DOGUE stores is a challenge faced by many other franchises. According to Margaret, the franchise’s marketing is exciting and a key differentiator. They have a strong online presence in social media, particularly in Facebook but also on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. However, local initiatives are just as important. Helping the community is vital to DOGUE and it also allows them to build their brand further. As for the future, Margaret wants to maintain a steady growth pace which will not compromise the quality of DOGUE as they want to stay boutique. For the next financial year, the franchise is planning to open five more stores. After that, the total number will grow to 40 stores with a mix of corporate and franchise stores. Soon, dog lovers all across Australia will have access to a DOGUE Boutique & Spa and all the benefits that come with it.