The nature of service products in the context of the Singapore zoo

The staff involved in producing and delivery the product are part of the product itself. In this case, this involved the animals and the zoo keepers. The zoo keeper is part of producing and delivering the product by maintaining the environment all habitats of the animals and ensuring that they are well-fed and given proper care so that they will be available for the visitors.  

The customers themselves are involved in the production process. Well, customers definitely play a big part in contributing to the business in zoo as they are the main source of revenue which the zoo gained. An attraction without customers visiting generates lesser revenue as compared to an attraction which has a high receptivity of customers.

The service product is not standardized. Weather is the contributing factor of a service product that is not standardized. The type of weather affects the visitor's decisions for coming to zoo. For example, if it's raining heavily, most likely visitors would not want to visit the zoo or continue their visit as the rain can be a several inconvenience to them. 

The perishable of a product is the single day purchased zoo ticket and tram ticket which cannot be stored for future use. Unless you are purchasing tickets which are e.g, Park Hopper's Special  2 in 1, 3 in 1 and 4 in  1. These tickets are not perishable as they can be stored for up to maximum 30 days after purchased. The zoo has e-ticketing system, which allows their visitors to purchase the tickets online. This makes it hassle free if you beat the queue. Moreover, by booking your tickets online, there will be an additional discount of 10% which will encourage last minute purchases. 

There is no tangible product to be carry home from the zoo. You can't possibly carry the animals home right? Haha. However, some manufactured goods which you can buy and bring home is the souvenirs, photographs, brochures and maps. What I have bought home was something not very desirable - a raincoat which cost me $5! That is why I have also mentioned on the earlier post to encourage you to bring an umbrella :P

Surroundings of the service delivering process are a feature of the service. In this case, I feel that the clean environment and well-organized layout are part of it. During the day of my visit despite the fact that there was a very long queue, the ushers have managed it well, in terms of human traffic flow. The overall layout of the zoo has created a wildlife nature feel which has contributed very much for my total experience.

During the day of our visit, the difficulties which my friend and I faced was the weather condition and crowd congestion at each animal exhibits. As it was a rainy day and there were not enough shelters provided for everyone, the visitors make used of the e.g. White Tiger zone to avoid getting drenched in the rain. Thus, this will not only create crowd congestion, but visitors who just came over and wanting to view the animals will not be able to see. Well, this somehow frustrated me the most. 

What is so unique about the zoo which deserves a high ranking in Trip Advisor?

From my point of view, Singapore zoo is one of the most sought after zoos in the world because it is home for over 2,800 animals from over 300 species of mammals, birds and reptiles. The zoo has also achieved its recognition by the brand image known as the World's Best Rainforest Zoo. One of the most unique services which the zoo provides is having Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife. This is the only place in the world where you can have breakfast with not one but an entire family of Orang Utans! This helps to differentiate themselves from the competition from other zoos. 

They have also met their target markets by providing the education through a fun and interactive way. E.g. the Elephants at Work and Play Show. You can not only learn that elephants are actually gentle and intelligence in nature, but there are so many other learning issues such as understanding their behaviours, personalities, their strengths, etc!

What I think is the most unique programs which the Singapore zoo will be providing are camps such as Sleep with the Beasts Family Affair, Zoo Explorer Camp and Be a Junior Zoo Keeper. This gives you an opportunity to escape from your usual boring holiday, soak yourself in the atmosphere of the wild and camp out beneath a blanket of stars.

Singapore zoo has been promoting themselves through various websites such as Groupon, Deals SG by entitling discount packages with River Safari or other Singapore attractions. Word-of-mouth is a strong advertising method, provided that the comments given by the public are positive. Brochures provided at Airport, Singapore Tourism Board or at other localised attractions such as Singapore Flyer, River Cruise, etc. The Singapore zoo chartered buses service is fully decorated with the images of animals also helps to draw attention from the public. the Singapore zoo website is a form of promoting their attraction as well.

 

Impacts on Singapore zoo

Economic impact, e.g, increasing of tourism revenue. Since Singapore is dependent on the tourism industry, if one attraction or many attractions generate profits, the economy will benefit as a whole as well. 

The attractions in Singapore is current expanding and creating more job opportunities for both locals and permanent residents too, especially with the new attractions such as River Safari, Universal Studios Singapore, etc.

Last but not least, visitor expenditures will contribute to the attractions as well. E.g. the more they spend in the Singapore zoo such as buying of souvenirs, on food and beverages, transportation, activities such as animal ride, trams, photography with the animals, etc. has already created a multiplier effect which thus helps to booms the business.

Eddie, thank you once again for inviting me to recommend you an attraction to go to when you are here visiting in Singapore. It is my great pleasure sharing with you all about the Singapore Zoo! I hope my blog will give a better overview on how exciting the zoo will be like! Please feel free to ask me more information if you need. See you in next year's June Holiday!! Take care.