New from Packaged Facts - "Pet Food in the U.S., 10th Edition" With volume sales relatively flat, competition for every pet food dollar has never been more intense, such that pet food marketers’ attentions are firmly directed toward presenting products that stand out while establishing or maintaining position in the all-important premium/natural segment. As mass-market pet food sales stagnate, with growth of under half a percentage point for the 52 weeks ending January 27, 2013, the action is in premium and superpremium foods where growth has reached double digits in some segments. With Hill’s reformulating Science Diet as a natural product, Walmart launching Pure Balance as its first natural pet food store brand, Nestlé Purina coming on strong with Purina One Beyond, Merrick taking acquiring Castor & Pollux and obtaining organic certification, and Del Monte acquiring Natural Balance, everyone is stepping up their game to take advantage of the natural boom. Yet another market driver is the fact that, more than ever, pet specialty and mass-market brands are growing significantly more alike in terms of offerings. In order to differentiate, marketers are turning to trends such as grain-free, “meat first” and human grade products. As pet superstores draw shoppers away from supermarkets and mass merchandisers with increased customer service and a greater range of products, discount and online retailers are putting the pressure on pet retailers across the board, offering quality products at substantially lower prices. Although pet-owning households have slowly increased their income level, with 29.4% of dog or cat-owning households making $60,000 a year or more in 2012 compared with 27.8% in 2007, the percentage of pet owners shopping at discount stores remains high, at nearly 25%, based on Simmons Fall 2012 consumer survey data. Additionally, although online shopping for pet products is significantly lower than in other retail channels, at just over 6% in 2012, dog and cat owners are more likely than the population at large—at 15% and 23%, respectively—to shop online in general, leading to the potential for more online shopping growth in the pet market. Read more at: packagedfacts/Pet-Food-Edition-7372391/
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 13:35:11 +0000
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