The importance of personalisation

A species-transcending trend

One trend that has transcended species, is personalisation. Over the past few years, we have seen a growing movement away from ‘general’, one-size-fits-all products for humans to exclusive and unique products. In fact, consumers prefer bespoke articles that make them stand out from others and match their own taste. Now, this trend is also being widely applied to pet items, such as food, accessories, medication and wellness.

Food and health

Also in food – with consumers becoming more focused on ingredients – pet owners are less happy to settle for standard pet foods. Nowadays, they are as concerned about nutritional value for their pets as they are for themselves. This means pet parents are becoming more discerning: wanting only the best ingredients and healthier options. One trend is for more fresh food, and made-to-order pet diets. Whilst these products tend to come at a higher price, pet parents are happy to spend more of their disposable income on quality meals for their beloved pets.

Similarly, on the health side, owners are keen to find tailored solutions to their pets’ needs. According to Animal Biome, 20% of people suffer from chronic digestive conditions like colitis, inflammatory bowel and other disorders. A similar percentage of pets has these disorders too and many more suffer from food sensitivities.

Companies such as Mixlab, provide personalised medications and wellness products for such sensitive pets. When a prescription is received from a vet, the company customises the dosage for the pet’s size and type. They can also have the medication mixed into a preferred flavoured treat (as indicated by the pet parent) that is easier to administer.

Personalised subscriptions

Likewise, in the accessories sphere, one-size-fits-all solutions are no longer the only option on the market, with the advent of personalised subscription boxes such as Pupjoy.

Such companies are smartly combining technology and data to offer mass customisation of pet products. For example, they offer home-delivered and bespoke subscription boxes based on users’ preferences and animals’ sensitivities. ‘Boxes of pet happiness’ can contain a wide range of items such as treats, chews, toys, and other accessories, as well as wellness products like supplements for preventive care.

Bespoke products and services tend to have the attractive benefit of higher loyalty. After all, once a pet likes its diet and particular accessories, the pet parent is unlikely to switch. So, overall, personalisation is definitely worth considering as your customers’ demands become more sophisticated. And, importantly, it is clearly a great tactic to improve customer retention!