by Sarah Schmidt
May 3, 2018
The pet grooming market is unique in the pet universe in that it involves both services, which encompass thousands of groomers at various venues, and products, targeted to the do-it-yourself pet owner who grooms the pet at home or at a self-service facility. What both sides of the market have in common is the goal of a clean, healthy, well-groomed pet. Clean pets are an essential part of pet ownership today, as pets are now more often than not treated as family members by owners who keep them close by both at home and on the go. The “pets as family” trend, fueled by empty-nesting Boomers and Millennials who know no other kind of pet ownership, has put grooming services and products front and center, as pet owners look for the best way to maintain a well-groomed “furbaby.” Indeed, making sure the pets are clean and well-groomed is an integral part of integrating them both into the household, where they often share furniture and sleep in the same bed as their owners, and into public settings, from dog parks and coffeehouses to retail shopping venues. Packaged Facts survey results from January/February 2018 show just how important clean pets are to owners, with 76% of pet owners agreeing that it is important to keep their pet clean and smelling fresh. The survey data was featured in the recently published report Pet Grooming, Skin & Coat, and Spa Products and Services in the U.S., 2nd Edition.
One of the trends driving innovation in the pet grooming services market is add-on services—those “extras” that groomers offer so pet owners can achieve custom results from the grooming process. Services inspired by human spa treatments have gained a firm hold in the market, disrupting the status quo as they’ve achieved mainstream status. Although some of these add-ons, such as aromatherapy and massage, may appear on the surface to be merely cosmetic or even frivolous, a growing cadre of pet owners understand they can serve an important health function, alleviating stress and aiding in overall wellness. Products modeled after human grooming products have also grown in popularity, with pet owners seeking out the products that offer the most recent in-demand ingredients, as well as those that eschew ingredients they deem unsafe based on their own personal grooming product choices.
With this $2.8 billion market expected to outpace overall pet market growth, grooming service providers, marketers, and retailers are all fully on board, hoping to leverage today’s “clean pet” to attract clients and customers and drive store traffic.
-- by Shannon Brown, pet market analyst
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