Are you carrying the pet products your clients really want?
American households are spending more than ever on the health and happiness of their furry family members. In 2021, the American Pet Products Association reported a whopping $123.6 billion invested in pets. Of this total, “Vet Care & Product Sales” accounted for $34.3 billion. To maximize your share of this, it’s important to understand what customers are looking for when they visit your veterinary office.
Clients believe natural is best
A May 2022 report by global market research company Technavio reveals that customers desire natural and organic products. As pet owners tend to view their pets as family members, they take great care to address the health and happiness of their companions. As with the products they use on themselves, pet owners tend to seek a healthier way of life for their pets, avoiding products and processes that appear artificial or chemically based.
Appeal to younger pet parents
Millennials make up 32% of U.S. pet owners—the largest single share—based on a 2020/21 Statista study. Research by SPINS, a wellness-focused data technology company, suggests that natural and organic pet products are desired by 70% of Millennial pet owners, while 68% of Millennials and 73% of the younger Gen Z’s would spend more on sustainable pet products. Clearly, this presents a promising opportunity to optimize the products your veterinary business offers on-premises.
Something to chew on
Many of the products you offer clients may be available from manufacturers who meet natural and sustainable criteria. Pet toys made from materials such as natural wool, hemp, and organic cotton, or natural rubber, offer pet- and planet-friendly alternatives to plastics and other synthetic products.
Treats and supplements
Needless to say, edible pet treats made from all-natural and organic ingredients will appeal to clients concerned about their pet’s well-being. Increasing demand for pet supplements and vitamins has kept pace with interest in overall nutritional products. Demand for pet items containing CBD, in particular, grew 22% in 2021 according to SPINS data. In fact, AKC figures from 2021 show that more than a third of dog owners purchased a CBD product, particularly treats and shampoo, to help with their pet’s anxiety/stress, arthritis/sore joints or pain.
Pet foods
While organic and natural claims have been part of the premium pet food category for quite some time, natural preservation approaches, including botanicals such as green tea and rosemary, now provide additional ways to distinguish products you may wish to offer. These also target consumers who embrace the “clean-label” trend toward enhanced transparency and simple, easy-to-understand ingredients. One more significant trend to consider in this category is the increasing interest in wet pet food, which grew at 1.5 times the total market in the year preceding a 2021 story about the phenomenon on petfoodindustry.com.
Healthier habitats count, too
While you’re considering products with special appeal for your clients, be sure to think outside the house as well. For example, when a need for flea control indicates treatment of a client’s yard and garden, the question of how to get rid of fleas without chemical insecticides is only natural. A solution such as Flea Destroyer’s microorganism-based formula lets you complement whatever pet meds or other treatments you recommend with a people-, pet- and planet-friendly strategy that uses the fleas’ own natural enemy to break their life cycle outdoors.
You see a wide variety of clients in your day-to-day practice. Take advantage of current trends to make their visits to your veterinary office even more worthwhile—by offering natural, organic and sustainable solutions.
For more information about adding Flea Destroyer’s chemical-free, microorganism-based, larva-killing capability to your recommended solutions, call 310-952-5047 or visit fleadestroyer.com.