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If you’re in the pet business, you’ll be pleased to read that, according to industry trends analyses, the pet industry is expected to have continued growth. Alissa Wolf with About.com lists some areas in which growth is expected to really accelerate.
Pet Industry News: Growth Expected to Continue
Natural Pet Products
Natural products in general are gaining wide-spread popularity because people have become more conscious about improving and sustaining the health of the planet, and are increasingly leery of the potential toxicity of synthetic chemicals and other harmful materials.
In addition to a desire to decrease their pets’ carbon paw prints, pet parents are increasingly opting to purchase natural products in an effort to maintain and/or improve the health and well-being of their beloved companion animals.
The current top-selling natural pet products are:
- Holistic cat and dog food
- Cat litter
- Natural flea and tick repellents
- Holistic grooming products such as the blueberry facial for dogs
- Products for older pets, specifically dogs
- Toys
Specialty Pet Services Propel Pet Business Growth
The American Pet Products Association (APPA) estimates that pet owners in this country will spend $3.65 billion in 2011 on such services as grooming and boarding, up from $3.51 billion in 2010.
Other pet services that are increasing in popularity are:
- Dog training
- Upscale and holistic spa services, such as “paw-ticures,” reiki and massage
- Pet behavioral consulting
- Pet portrait photography
- Pet sitting
Another pet enterprise that is gaining a lot of popularity is the self-serve dog wash. In addition to offering ease and convenience for pet owners, this concept offers many unique retail opportunities. To a lesser degree, unique niche services such as yoga for dogs and pet psychic communicators are in-demand industry trends. In and of themselves, these services are not huge. But they do offer great potential as promotional services to increase a pet business’s visibility and ability to attract more store traffic.
Other really hot pet industry trends are:
Mobile pet grooming. This service involves the use of specially equipped vehicles that travel to pet owners’ homes; the groomers perform a full range of services right outside the customer’s door. This is a very in-demand service because it’s convenient for the customer, it reduces potential stress on the pets and it’s a godsend for home-bound older people, whose numbers are increasing due to the dense baby boomer population. On the downside, initial start-up costs for such an enterprise are hefty. But those in a position to make an investment in this are virtually guaranteed high business growth dividends.
Pet-friendly travel. This is another high business growth concept that’s being adopted by an increasing number of those in the vacation and hospitality industries. As more and more people regard their pets as beloved family members, they are opting to take them along on vacations. Moreover, people are more mobile, and may have to travel long distances to relocate for jobs, retirement or other purposes. An increasing number of diverse hotels, motels and inns, including New York’s posh Carlton Hotel and the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City now welcome pets. That’s a very smart move for those who wish to facilitate business growth, and it’s sure to remain a red-hot industry trend for a long time to come.
Pet health insurance. Although available in the country for a good 30 years, sales of pet policies have only begun to accelerate in recent times. This popular industry trend is expected to proliferate dramatically and subsequently offer enhanced potential for pet business growth due to a number of factors. For one, as previously mentioned, people increasingly regard their pets as beloved family members; pets (like people) are living longer, requiring more complex and extended medical care; and advances in veterinary technology have resulted in more costly pet medical care. This industry trend presents such a huge potential for business growth that corporate behemoth Nestle Purina even got on the bandwagon by launching a pet insurance subsidiary in 2008.
Indeed, pet parents spent $13 billion on vet bills in 2010, which the APPA predicts will increase to more than $14 billion in 2011.Although this is an extremely complex business, getting on this bandwagon is a very smart business move for those who have the inclination.
These are just some examples of pet products and categories where growth is expected to continue. You can read the full article here. Pet parents spend billions every year on their four-legged family, so it’s no surprise that this industry is red hot! Do you own a pet business? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Photo of “Jeffrey” courtesy of www.k9closet.com.
