Our Belgium partners, Europromotion, recently attended Interzoo in Nürnberg, the world's largest trade fair for pet supplies. The aim of attending was to keep up to date with the latest world trends in this sector and convert these into actionable Field Marketing tips. 

This biennial pet industry event has around 2,000 exhibitors presenting their latest products and trends. The growth in the exhibitors this year clearly reflects the upbeat mood in the market. As reported by market research institute Euromonitor, the global market for pet supplies achieved a revenue of €98.7 billion last year, which is a growth of more than 7%, with the European market responsible for a revenue of over €30.8 billion.

Fascinatingly Interzoo revealed the global pet population in 2018 is as follows:

• Dogs: 360.8 million
• Cats: 271.9 million
• Fish: 655.8 million
• Birds: 205.2 million
• Reptiles and Small Mammals: 70.5 million

Europromotion highlighted two main trends that seemed to dominate the show, namely:

Health & wellness

The health and wellness of our beloved pets is extremely important to us and producers are focussing more on using natural ingredients in their food with fewer preservatives, artificial flavours and dyes.

Increasingly animal owners expect to have access to healthy pet food that offers functional benefits beyond the nutritional value and this leads to a large influx of vegetarian and organic products.

3D printing
3D printed pet accessories is another trend that is quickly gaining in popularity. Consumers are looking for item that are unique and personalised. The use of 3D printing is enabling manufactures to create bespoke products for pet owners that want something a little different for their furry friends.

In terms of field marketing, this sector clearly requires a different approach to traditional FMCG channels. Europromotion has been actively involved in the pet industry for many years and gained valuable experience and expertise.

We have compiled a list of some of our insights and notable differences we take into consideration when marketing brands within this industry:

• The average time per customer contact is much higher than in other sectors
• Samples are greatly appreciated but have little impact on sales because they postpone the sale
• Changing the type of pet food is a big barrier for most consumers, so thorough preparation is needed to convince them
• The biggest stumbling block in retail sales is sales to veterinarians because they radiate more authority and credibility 
• The need for a professional explanation is increased because brands are more and more distinguished by their product compositions

The Interzoo fair has once again been an incredible source of insights and inspiration. 

If you want to gain more insight into how Field Marketing could help your brand in the pet food and supplies market contact our Belgian partner, Europromotion today.