Pet Care Pod Episode 4: Splurging on Pets, Part 1

Jul 9

By Liz Miller, Vice President of Business Development | July 9, 2020

On episode 4 of our Pet Care Podcast, Erica Ruyle and I explore the world of emerging sectors and spending opportunities in pet care, as well as the emotions and drivers around splurging on treats, toys, and other pet items beyond daily food.

Shoppers clearly have a different mentality around treats and one time purchases compared to daily food purchases. Erica will explain some of the reasons why this is the case, and talk about some examples of high spending categories that drive total pet care spend.

There’s a widespread premiumization across the pet care space, and we’ll talk through several examples for dog owners and cat owners, including the pup-focused Three Dogs Bakery (a franchise model with presence in three countries), and Cat Person, a newly launched online brand and subscription service aimed at supporting a new aesthetic and image for cat owners through high end and beautifully designed products, as well as fresh and nutritious cat food and treats.

We’ll also cover other areas of innovation, including connected devices for pets, and innovation in the litter category (finally!) including the emergence of self-cleaning, self-filtering litter boxes, and new product launches like Pretty Litter.

While this pet care podcast session focuses on innovation in treats and at-home care items, we’ll be talking through pet services, healthcare, as well as pet product distribution models in our next episode, so be sure to tune in!