Pet sales on the rise
The proof is in the kibble: as of January 29, 2022, pet care category dollar sales increased by $8.38 billion, up 15% from a year ago. Factor in how much the category is growing online, and even more opportunities arise for pet brand marketers looking to drive sales. Looking at online-only sales of pet care products, NielsenIQ data shows a $4.5 billion jump in sales, a 26% leap compared to a year ago. Total pet care sales passed $65 billion, and roughly a third of that volume originated online.
In the use case, “Full steam ahead in pet care: Omnichannel shoppers drive pet category growth,” NielsenIQ took a deep dive into the pet arena to identify how brands can grow in this fast-moving space by using omnichannel data.
Pet insights
Omnichannel data makes a big difference.
More pets in the household
It’s no secret that families turned to pets to bring cheer to their households during the pandemic. In fact, online retailer Chewy found that nearly 1 million pets were adopted in 2021 in its Animal Shelters and Rescue Report, which noted that the adoption rate of pets from shelters and rescues hit a six-year high.
What does that mean for pet food and product marketers? More pet owners equal more opportunity. The rise in ownership certainly played a role in the recent large rise of pet care sales, but for brands, the task ahead is knowing where to meet shoppers on their journey.
With omnichannel data, brand marketers can measure performance at prominent pet care e-tailers and compare sales and demographics to other channels and shopper types. The insights can help a brand grow alongside pet owners, too. This includes educating pet owners on different types of food for their animals, what food to buy at various stages of the animal’s life and staying in-step with what they are searching for online. Omnichannel data also allows brand marketers to track what types of foods or products are selling better, where and among which shopper groups.
Amid sweeping growth, brands can work smarter with the use of omnichannel insights.
Retailer innovation
Brands also need to equip themselves with data on how consumers are shopping for pet products, as retailers continue to innovate and change within the category.
For example, Petco is testing concept shops inside the hardware retailer Lowe’s. This experiment could present an entirely new channel—and opportunities—for pet brands to explore. Online retailers are introducing subscription services, as are prominent brands like Kong. Target’s innovating through Kindfull, a private-label brand of dog and cat food and treats aimed at offering healthier options for pets at a lower price.
Brands can compete with Kindfull and other growing private label assortments by using NielsenIQ omnichannel data to strengthen how they promote and deliver their products to shoppers. Brands also need to leverage data to gain insights into new and shifting channels like Petco’s hardware partnership and innovations from Chewy, Amazon, and many smaller pet-only retailers.
Lean into data
The pet category is indeed thriving. In the 52 weeks ending November 20, 2021, U.S. shoppers spent $40.8 billion on pet care, a 14.9% jump compared to a year prior, only to grow even further as of the January 29, 2022. Pet adoption rates are up. Pet owners are engaged in buying products for their new pets, and retailers and brands are evolving how they innovate and present solutions for pet shoppers.
Brands can download the NielsenIQ category use case, “Omnichannel shoppers drive pet category growth,” to learn more about the dramatic shopping shifts occurring now and gear up for the future.
With the use case, pet brand marketers can see NielsenIQ omnichannel data in action.
Brands can see examples of insights from NielsenIQ Omnisales and Omnishopper data and understand how it can be used to further their knowledge of the shopper and brand when looking to grow sales across any channel.
To get a full understanding of how the insights drive success in the burgeoning pet category, download our use case, “Full steam ahead in pet care: Omnichannel shoppers drive pet category growth.”
