BENTER BOX
A detachable, modular, and affordable litter box for improved cat care and easy maintenance
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Litter Box Design
Fall 2020
Thrasio
Matt Kressy, Tony Hu, Andy Macinnis
with Hye Yeon Oh, Yash Trivedi, Kate Tyshchenko, Jonathan Zhou
Concept development, user research, design, modeling, drawing production
Rhinoceros, Lumion, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, 3D Printing
Benter Box, a cat litterbox featuring sleek cosmetics that seamlessly blends into modern furniture. Its detachable, stackable, and modular walls are easy to transport and clean. The attached wide scoop is more effective for cleaning and reducing smell. The customizable panel selections intend to fit various owners’ and cats’ preferences. All of these with an unbeatable price of $39 that wows every cat parent.
01 | Why Do We Care
Exploring the Market
From data collected online and from our client, Thrasio, there are 100 million cats in the US alone, and the online searches for litter boxes are 200k/month. We also observed that the 18-24 aged people were the highest spenders (≈ $170), followed by 25-35 and decreasing thereon (≈ $140), whom we considered as our target group.
Other facts:
- The average spending of an owner on their cats is roughly $1,000/year;
- The primary cat parents are usually women;
- The average price of a litter box is $50 - $85.
Cat owners we spoke to think of the litterbox as a means to connect with their cats. So we wondered how we could make a “cat’s toilet” a style statement that users can afford and feel good about. Litterboxes that provide functionality and great aesthetics cost over $100 on average. Meanwhile, the features are complex and not as effective as they claim to be.
What Users and Cats are Telling Us
Despite reviewing the trending keywords on Amazon and our survey data, we interviewed 30+ cat owners with various demographics, occupations, and living conditions. We also learned what the super users had to say, mainly cat cafe owners and pet shops, as well as opinion from the veterinary doctors to further understand cat’s behavior as well.
Another approach to helping map the journey is to observe as many cats as we could through videos or personal visits, especially how they came, used, and left the litter box.
Client's Appeal
Despite the user needs, our client, Thrasio, raised the issue of expensive shipping costs because the litter box is hollow, and the unnecessary shipping costs brought by its size are very high:
FBA Shipping Cost:
Competitors' tier: 20.8" x 16.6" x 15.6" = $22.23 | Our target tier: 18" x 14" x 8" = $6.18
$14 cost reduction!
So we also put "minimizing shipping volume" as one of the design considerations.
02 | Ideation
Solving Stakeholders' Needs from Design
Some things to note:
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Affordability was linked to packing fraction: an efficient packing fraction had a $14 price reduction in shipping costs;
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The ease of assembly then became an important parameter once we prioritized detachability for packing reasons;
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Also, the daily cleaning and smell reduction were closely linked needs. The more clean the box the lesser the smell. They also ranked highly in importance among cat owners.
Rapid Prototyping & Testing
We listed out the most important parameters based on user research to drive our brainstorming session. We sketched out many ideas for the litter box and the scoop, then narrowed them down to do the prototyping.
We bring our rapid prototypes to our users, cat owners and cats, for feedback. Then, we asked users to score them based on each attribute of user needs to find our best design for further development.
The Journey So Far
Introducing our functional, stylish, and affordable "Benter Box"!
03 | Functional Value
What is Benter Box
Overview
Benter Box is a compact, sleek, and modular cat litter box. Its detachability and modularity make it easy to be assembled and deep cleaned. It is also compactly packaged and can fit in the lower shipping dimension, which both helps our client to save costs and the customers to reduce prices.
The Scoop
The new design of the scoop, with nearly the same width as the box itself, simplifies daily cleaning. With magnets, it can be securely attached to:
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the side of the box - for larger cats;
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within the lid - for smaller cats.
Packaging
Our Benter box can collapse to form a 17" x 13" x 8" container with the lid and tray, fitting all other components inside, and can be fastened by the left and right latches. Just like a bento box, it is easy to package and transport. That's how we got our name "Benter = Bento +Litter"!
Overview
Benter Box is a compact, sleek, and modular cat litter box. Its detachability and modularity make it easy to be assembled and deep cleaned. It is also compactly packaged and can fit in the lower shipping dimension, which both helps our client to save costs and the customers to reduce prices.
The Scoop
The new design of the scoop, with nearly the same width as the box itself, simplifies daily cleaning. With magnets, it can be securely attached to:
-
the side of the box - for larger cats;
-
within the lid - for smaller cats.
Packaging
Our Benter box can collapse to form a 17" x 13" x 8" container with the lid and tray, fitting all other components inside, and can be fastened by the left and right latches. Just like a bento box, it is easy to package and transport. That's how we got our name "Benter = Bento +Litter"!
Bringing it to our users - cats and their owners
With four 3D printers working together, we finally made our look-like & work-like prototype of the Benter box. We then brought it to users to test how the assembly and usage go, as well as how well actual cats interact with it.
Benter box comes in really compact packaging. For the assembly, the user:
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open the box;
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attach the curved walls first and latches them;
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slide in the flat panels;
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cover it with the lid.
Comparing with Traditional Litter Box
Scooping
If the normal scoop takes 5 passes, which means 5 times digging through litter and dumping the clumps into the trash, our wide scoop with single pass cleaning enhances the effectiveness.
Cleaning
Instead of carrying a bulky box and bending in the bathtub to wash, the user can simply carry the detached parts to their sink and wash it, just as simple as doing dishes!
Packaging
Unlike those traditional litter boxes that may be thrown away when moving due to their large size. Users can leverage our
portability to carry the box away when moving or traveling. This continuity also does not require re-familiarizing the cat with the litter box.
04 | Emotional Value
Introducing Our Cat Persona
Every cat has a different personality, and the cat's parents recognize that. Some are social, some prefer staying aloof. Cat parents try to understand and express their cat’s unique personalities to other people as well. To express this, we created our cat persona. We styled the boxes with different colors, finishes, and fabrics with 2 purposes:
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Users can choose the corresponding one based on their cats' personalities or reflect their cats;
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Options are also intended for users to match their boxes with their home interior styles.
Modularity Options
Another consideration of the cat personas is their preferences for using the litter box. Cats need privacy and love hiding in the dark for their business, but some are scared about being trapped - there’s a translucent wall option. Our box’s modularity helps us to provide cat parents with multiple options suiting their cats. Like front or side entry options, sidewall to control lighting for privacy, and many more can be developed as well!
Our unique value proposition, modularity, is a way to satisfy the needs of diverse groups. Instead of making a selection ourselves, we allow users to choose whatever works for them and their cat persona best. And if you change your mind later, you can just get one new part (e.g., a lid or a new entrance) to fulfill your needs!
Reflecting your cat's style | Integrating into your home
05 | Business Model
Pricing & Profits
We estimate our price to be $59, including the litter box, scoop, mat, and a pack of refillable liners. Working with our client on the numbers, we listed our pricing and profits analysis:
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Price: $59 - Box + Scoop + Mat + Liner
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Selling on Amazon fee (beyond FBA): $5.85
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COGS:
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BOM
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Bottom Tray - $2.10
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Top Cover - $1.50
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Side Left - $1.30
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Side Right- $1.30
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Front Panel - $1.30
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Back Panel - $1.30
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Latch Side - $0.25
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Latch Door - $0.35
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Scoop - $1.20
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Front Door Flexible - $0.25
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Label Bottom - $0.05
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Polybag - $0.01
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Shipping Box - $0.25
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Assembly / Care Directions / IFU - 0.05
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COGS Subtotal - $12.04
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Post-mold assembly (latches/door) - $0.35
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Shipping - $2.60
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Taxes/Tariffs - $1.20
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Total Landed Cost - $16.20
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Gross Profit - $42.8
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Gross Margin - 109%
As the analysis shown above, we should be able to achieve pretty good margins with this box. We estimate sales at around 3,000 units per month, with total landed costs being $16/per box and price at $59. This brings us to an approximate net profit of $1.5M annually.
Amazon’s own product
Major Competitors
Popular Third-party Box
Product Display
Here is a sample design of the amazon page. We have a box listed under a default SKU but have other colors and styles variations under it for users to pick. More options mean a product is more tailored to you and your cat’s needs, where we can expect a longer product lifetime with our Benter Box and its modularity options.
