Fish4Dogs | United Kingdom

Health and palatability

Founded in 2005, Fish4Dogs (and the subsequently launched Fish4Cats brand) started with the simple realisation that lots of very high-quality fish protein that was going to waste in the human food chain would make extremely good food and treats for pets. Because of the naturally high levels of omega-3 present in fish, there were evident health benefits. Moreover, the distinct smell of fish resulted in high levels of palatability, making the products appealing to both dogs and cats. 

From this early idea, Fish4Dogs has grown into an award-winning, global producer that now sells in over 35 countries, employs 51 people in its UK office and currently generates close to £17 million (€19 million/$21.5 million) in annual turnover.

Champion of fish

The Fish4Dogs proposition is unique because it is based on fish as the only protein. Hence, Fish4Dogs is truly a ‘champion of fish’. This approach also makes it easier for customers, because once they understand the benefits of fish they can swap between fish recipes, confident that the food and treats will support their pet’s well-being.

Initially, the concept of fish-only recipes was a challenge; dog owners thought only cats liked fish and often questioned whether a fish-only diet would provide sufficiently high protein levels for their dogs – or in fact whether their dogs would even like the taste. 

The proposition was more readily accepted in countries where fish is important in the human diet, and thus Fish4Dogs soon became a leading brand in Japan, China and Singapore. The hardest nation to convince was the UK, where an understanding of the benefits of fish has taken longer to build amongst mainstream consumers. Fish4Dogs identified early on that professional dog owners and breeders were more likely to be early adopters of the proposition, and over several years Fish4Dogs has built a much-respected and vital ambassador network of pet professionals who feed and breed using Fish4Dogs food and treats.

Tailored sales approach

In addition, Fish4Dogs recognised that fish is a more specialised, considered purchase and therefore needed a tailored sales approach – by country and customer type. In the UK, for example, where consumers favour internet searches to carry out in-depth research about their pet’s food, the company concentrated on building an informative, intuitive business-to-consumer website that currently accounts for 75% of its UK sales. In countries where bricks-and-mortar shopping is favoured, Fish4Dogs built a network of distributors and partner retail chains. In those countries, traditional retail sales volumes exceed online sales.

With such a complex international multi-channel customer base, outstanding customer service is critical in maintaining high standards of satisfaction. The Fish4Dogs customer service team is skilled in the necessary languages and export documentation to provide customer support based on exceptional product knowledge and empathy. This results in loyal and satisfied customers: average 4.5 out of 5 star rating in reviews and higher than 90% overall satisfaction levels based on the annual customer survey.