by Daniel Granderson
November 2, 2018
Convenience is the word in the durable pet products market, with high-tech features and automation allowing pet owners to connect with their pets more easily and participate in their well-being more directly.
A host of “smart” products—those connected to home networks via WiFi or using Bluetooth or RFID technology—form the core of pet owners’ new “connected lifestyle,” brought to the fore in large part by the growing incursion of online retailers into the pet market. Spurring innovation across the entire durable pet product spectrum, smart devices allow pet owners to monitor and interact with their pets like never before, from any distance, with automated feeders, self-cleaning litter boxes, and even toys being directed with a flick of the mobile phone screen.
Owners are also increasingly connecting with their pets in a directly physical way, taking their fur babies with them when traveling, exercising, or just running errands, driving demand for products that make it easier and safer for pets to accompany their owners wherever and whenever. Packaged Facts survey data show that in 2018, 35% of dog owners and 10% of cat owners brought their pets with them while traveling. In full response mode, marketers are coming on strong with products that are portable, durable, and simplified, with innovative features that minimize the stress of pet ownership on the go. Pet carriers are just the start, with marketers in other product categories—including collars and leashes, crates, feeders and waterers, and apparel—also doing their part when it comes to owner- and pet-friendly products that allow pet owners to keep their furry companions close
Pet owners’ connection to their pets is especially visible in the pet durables market when it comes to fashion and style, with pet owners viewing their pet’s posh leather carriers, up-cycled collars, and designer garb as extensions of their own personal style.
Focusing on product innovation and consumer preferences, Durable Dog and Cat Petcare Products in the U.S., 2nd Edition, breaks out this $4.9 billion market into seven categories, examining sales trends, consumer purchasing patterns, and new product development in each:
Across all of these durable petcare product categories, a razor sharp marketing focus on convenience, technology, fashion, function, and style is set to keep pet owners’, and their pets, in lockstep with the latest trends for years to come.
-- by Shannon Brown, market research analyst
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