We all have that friend who freaks out about their dog’s wheat allergy more than their own bad eating habits.
Pets are beloved family members — and today’s pet owners are willing to shell out good money for their special ones.
While there are a number of reasons for the shift in attitudes towards pets, much of it has to do with generational differences.
Younger generations are delaying marriage and parenthood, leaving more time and resources for their fur babies. In a span of 6 years, the average price-per-pound of pet food has risen 49% to $2.55 as “pet parents” increasingly buy premium offerings for their pets.
On top of rising product prices, there is a greater variety of products available: sustainable grooming supplies, health insurance, CBD tincture and more.
Growth of the pet industry
With this ‘humanization’ of pets, pet care is expected to be a $281B industry in North America by 2023.
Even big players from other spaces are getting in on the action.
In 2018, General Mills acquired Blue Buffalo for $8B.
“The three most profitable aisles in the supermarket are beverage, snack food and pet food,” explains Larry Light, former CMO for McDonald’s and brand revitalization expert. “In many parts of the world, people spend more per calorie to feed their pets than they feed their kids.”
In the same year, the J. M. Smucker Company made a similar acquisition for Ainsworth Pet Nutrition for approximately $1.7 billion.
As we see the industry continue to grow, it makes sense that we will see more businesses selling their pet products and services to other businesses. And major companies are eager to cash-in on the growth and use conferences and trade shows as an advertising platform.
B2B pet care advertisers buy space at events
Conferences and events provide pet care B2B brands the opportunity to market their niche goods.
Some of the most popular pet care industry events in North America include:
- SuperZoo
- Petcare Innovation Summit
- ExpoZoo
- Global Pet Expo
There are a number of global events as well.
These events give vendors and buyers ways to connect personally, to showcase their products and to get their name out there.
For example, SuperZoo hosted a grooming contest for pet groomers that was sponsored by Fresh ‘n Clean, Nature’s Specialties, Bio-Groom, and Conair Pro Pet. With more than $45,000 in prizes available, new and seasoned groomers alike were encouraged to participate.
It’s not just pet-tailored events and conferences that attract petcare advertisers.
We saw pet brands at over 20 conferences in 2019, including CES, Natural Products Expo and Maison & Objet (an interior design event).
This indicates that petcare brands know that their product isn’t just related to pets — it’s related to all things human. Most industries can be applied to petcare: tech, health, interior design, lifestyle and wellness, to name a few.
Vendors of these petcare supplies — clothing, furniture, organic food, health care products — can showcase their goods to other businesses at relevant conferences.
MediaRadar Insight: Key industries and players in B2B petcare
To give you a better image of how all this is taking shape, we have a break down of the top advertisers spending at B2B conferences and the top buyers of goods.
Top pet categories spending advertising dollars on B2B conferences include:
- Pet Care/Grooming Products
- Foods
- Cages
- Accessories
Top buyers at B2B pet conferences include:
- Nestle
- Pet Food Line
- Wagz
- LavvieBot
The most common booth sizes bought by pet brands were 10×10, 10×20, & 20×20.
This B2B advertising trend comes at a time when there is an increasing amount of overlap between investment in human food and care products and pet products.
