The voice of the consumer

Today’s consumer

Consumers across the world have become better informed, better connected and have a stronger influence than ever before on products from all sectors, and the companies that develop, make and supply them. The voice of the consumer across all sectors has grown in force.

Consumer pressure used to be expressed mostly via an organised group response to specific concerns, or issues about specific products or corporate/manufacturing procedures. With early roots in environmental and human food sectors, consumer behaviour and societal opinion are now key drivers across all markets. This has arisen due to rapidly increased global transparency, new communication channels made available by the internet and social media, advances in scientific knowledge, and increases in the number and diversity of consumer groups and their evolution into interactive or advisory partners for business. 

Millennials (loosely defined as those born between 1980 and 2000) have become the largest group of consumers overall and the largest group of pet owners in the US, according to the Pew Research Center. And, according to a study by the Roland Berger Institute, seven out of ten of those Millennials in the US now consider themselves to be ‘social activists’. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) “is millennials’ new religion”. In particular, consumers want complete insight into the supply chain of all products, including pet products; 100% transparency; and honesty.

Listening to consumers

Many companies have, of course, already embraced this change and are becoming increasingly customer-centric. The strengthening voice of consumers is no longer necessarily perceived as consumer pressure, but often instead welcomed as key strategic guidance. The customer is the ultimate stakeholder group. With a more comprehensive view of their customers, companies are empowered to fulfil consumers’ needs in a better, more personalised manner. And for many companies, the goal has become not only to develop, sell and deliver products to consumers, but to contribute new ideas and tools that enable customers to advance. 

Pivotal is choosing and using the right channels to engage with consumers, ideally, in a truly two-way interaction. Most use an omni-channel approach to interact with customers and other stakeholders in a wide variety of ways. This could be through personal contact, events or advertising, but also, importantly, through emerging digital communications techniques, consumer research and surveys, and by working together in partnership with organised consumer- and animal welfare groups.

What they say

Consumer behaviour with regard to pet products generally mirrors consumer demands in the human food sector and other sectors. Consumers continue to look for greater transparency from companies whose brands they consider buying. Clean- and clear labelling of products is becoming a new global standard, however, packaging labels are no longer the only sources of information that consumers rely on. Increasingly important are third-party reviews in the buying process. 

As well as wanting to know more about the products they buy and about the companies who sell them, consumers across the world are shopping for better health, improved environmental sustainability and higher standards of animal welfare. Every element of pet products comes under consumer scrutiny: from sourcing ingredients to manufacturing practices; packaging to distribution; and from certification to sustainability. 

In addition, consumers are generally much more sceptical than they used to be. Consumer trust is easily lost by brands whose promises go undelivered. 

Responding to opportunities

Strengthening of the consumer’s voice brings potentially valuable new opportunities to align with the consumer. With access to more information and subsequent enhanced knowledge, consumers are more aware of issues, such as pet obesity. They recognize that specific pets have specific needs. Just as there are more channels to ‘hear’ consumers, there are more opportunities to ‘sell to’ consumers e.g. online channels. And there is an ever-growing demand for greater choice. 

In responding successfully to consumer influence, adding insight to their knowledge will become more important. And with consumers exposed to ever-increasing information from all global sources, companies must demonstrate what added value they can deliver in the most compelling way possible.