Pet ownership is booming, and as it grows, pet parents are also in the market for pet food, treats, grooming products, supplements, toys, and more.
According to data from the American Pet Products Association, two-thirds of American households will own a pet by 2024. This means that 86.9 million households now own at least one dog (65.1 million) or cat (46.5 million), including a 10% increase in pet ownership. In the pandemic year of 2020-2022.
Additionally, as pet ownership increases, consumer spending on pet supplies will also increase, reaching $147 billion in the U.S. by 2023.
This is a big number, and as expected, where there is a large and growing market, competition is fierce among brands trying to get their products in front of pet parents.
An important lever that many of them are pulling is sampling. According to a recent retail survey conducted by Advantage Solutions, approximately 91% of shoppers believe that sampling and product demonstrations influenced their purchasing decisions, and this strategy can help convert shoppers into buyers. The data clearly shows that.
But unlike a sampling program for a new brand of potato chips or a new flavor of sparkling water that consumers can try during their regular shopping trips, implementing sampling for pets requires a distinctly different set of considerations. matter is required.
“You're not trying out a product, right?” said Nick Gendron, senior director of business development at Advantage Solutions, which provides omnichannel sampling experiences across e-commerce, lifestyle, and retail platforms. Masu.
“It's not the same as buying a drink and tasting it yourself and deciding whether you like it or not,” added Gendron, who is one of the many Americans who brought a dog home during the pandemic. .
Since consumers don't actually try the products themselves, these brands have the added layer of properly educating consumers about the samples so they feel comfortable giving them to their pets and buying them again.
“Consumer spending on pet ownership and pet products continues to increase,” said Alain Berdan, Executive Vice President of Client Services at Advantage. “With that comes a need for new products that requires support from pet product customers. Much of the sampling and brand experience we create for these clients is tied to product education and new innovations. doing.”
Advantage has been the number one experiential marketing business in the U.S. for 10 years, supporting a growing number of pet product manufacturers by finding creative and innovative ways to get their products into the hands of shoppers. I am. This includes venue-based marketing and e-commerce sampling campaigns.
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
Advantage works with a network of thousands of venues beyond traditional retail stores. Its network, built by a client success team, includes everything from dog day care to pet boarding, veterinarians and groomers, and pet specialty retailers.
These relationships are built one at a time, and each venue must opt-in to participate in the sampling program. From there, Advantage will hire staff at each location, educate them about the product and train them to distribute samples.
“We know that these venues are visited by consumers who are pet owners, and they are choosing to have samples taken because it is relevant to them.” Gendron says.
In e-commerce, Advantage offers “surprise and delight by putting samples inside the e-retailer's purchased packaging.'' Essentially, we connect our brands with products that make sense for a particular product, or that are synergistic. We’re trying to match products that fit the demographics that will work.”
Targeted marketing is very important, and knowing whether the recipient of your product sample has a dog or cat can prevent waste and expense. To that end, Gendron says, “We have a network of people who buy pet supplies online, and we can show them samples that come in the box.”
educate pet parents
As consumers embrace trends toward humanizing pets and promoting health, the foods and treats they purchase are becoming healthier, organic, and natural. People treat pets like children. This means being more selective about the panel and origin of ingredients in your pet's food.
Therefore, edible pet samples are becoming more and more ingredient-oriented. As pet parents put more emphasis on health and wellness, brands are offering sample samples to help consumers better understand the benefits of each product and decide what to feed their pet and what not. Also included are educational materials.
Advantage often works with veterinary hospitals to distribute samples, further reassuring consumers that the product is not only safe but beneficial for pets.
“If someone is distributing samples, [veterinary office]That includes tacit support,” Gendron says. “Facilities should opt in to distributing samples. They are not going to provide something that they don't believe in or that will negatively impact their pets.”
Pet food is by far the largest pet product category with US retail sales reaching $51 billion in 2023, but sampling dog food in particular requires an innovative approach. We don't actually make sample size bags of dog food that usually come in giant bags. Additionally, distributing samples, even if logistically possible, does not allow for the different breeds, weights, ages, and health needs of different dogs.
“That certainly presents a challenge, so we created well-branded awareness flyers for these patients and distributed them in veterinary offices,” says Gendron. “They contain a QR code that links to information that allows the customer to learn more about the product, where and how to buy it, etc. When a user scans the QR, they are interested in the product and go online. You can see that they have the opportunity to learn about the product based on their actions and what they purchase.”
Given the overall growth in the pet industry and changes in consumer behavior, innovation and education are more important than ever for brands to stand out in an increasingly competitive market. As a proven leader in creative and impactful sampling, Advantage offers superior solutions that cut through the noise and turn samplers into shoppers.
