Huge potential for specialized products for puppies and kittens

While targeted products for young pets have been around for many years already, industry insiders believe that there is still a huge potential market to be opened. “92% of puppy owners believe they have unique needs. But only 1 out of 4 feeds them exclusively with puppy food,” explains Joe Toscano, Vice President Trade & Industry Development at Purina.

At the same time, research carried out by this leading pet food manufacturer shows that most kitten owners believe the products they feed their pets will impact their future health. This offers a huge potential for sales of specialty puppy and kitten food products.

According to some estimates, the sales of such specialty food in Europe have already risen by 10% and 15% over the past 2 years.

Premium products and services
Hoping to benefit from such growth potential, some players have already launched specifically targeted premium products and services.

British retailer Pets at Home recently introduced a VIP Puppy and Kitten Club, which provides exclusive discounts and expert advice on how to raise young pets. “As a responsible pet care business, we are focused on all life stages of our customers’ pets. We understand just how important it is to put the right building blocks in place during the first critical months of a pet’s life – in terms of health, diet and behavior,” claims the company. Over the last 12 months, sign- ups to the club were up by 1.2m (up 48%), which is 3 times pre-pandemic growth rates.

In 2020, Royal Canin established a Puppy & Kitten Expert Board to assess the impact of diet on the first stages of a pet’s life. To be published results will serve as a reference for researchers and vets.

Brand and store loyalty
Retailers hope to attract new pet parents making their choice between brands for their first purchases. These typically include leashes, bowls and toys. Importantly, pet parents tend to stay loyal to the same store for future purchases. “If retailers can win at the puppy and kitten stage, they can expect to see an increase in channel loyalty and additional sales in areas such as cleaning items,” Joe Toscano from Purina points out.

But, creating brand loyalty through food is paramount. German manufacturer Happy Dog and Happy Cat understands the stakes and offers numerous food products from the earliest stage of life, until the pet can eat regular adult food. They now offer everything from probiotic milk for puppies and kittens – as a replacement for the mother’s milk – to a ‘starter’. This is a special type of food that familiarizes young animals with solid food, before they switch to regular puppy food after 4 to 6 weeks.

“This is a very important segment, accounting for about 10% of our sales. Today’s puppies and kittens are tomorrow’s clients,” says managing director Georg Müller at Happy Dog and Happy Cat.

Swimming lessons for puppies
In the fight for customer loyalty, companies offer specialized services and activities to help the physical and behavioral development of young pets. This includes offering increasingly popular swimming lessons for puppies. Swimming seems to be a particular trend in Australia, where schools such as Aquapaws, Holistic Paws and Dogoverboard are flourishing.

On a different note, Chicago-based PupJoy offers a personalized monthly box packed with treats, toys, and training tips customized for every life stage of a puppy.

Social stimulation
Other businesses are focusing their efforts on the scientifically proven need for young pets to socialize. According to research conducted by Dr. Helen Vaterlaws-Whiteside and published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, dogs who are not socialized as puppies can grow up to be anxious and scared. Yet, a study held in 2018 showed that one-third of pet owners fail to expose their puppies to enough social stimulation. Puppy schools and kitten kindergartens have embraced this need, offering group training sessions, and even online classes, that help develop pet communications skills and confidence.