Pets Consumer Insights

Implications - “Cute” blogs have infiltrated the web, and thousands of “adorable” chain letters and photo blogs later, they continue to captivate online users. Animals have global appeal, extending far beyond any cultural boundaries, giving this genre of images and videos an easy ability to go viral.

Implications - Aqua culture has gone from simple goldfish bowls to highly sophisticated and unique aquariums. Commercial spaces are taking advantage of fish fascination by making them a focal point in their establishments. Consumers are looking for alternate, more natural, design innovations.

Implications - Individuals who seek the companionship and unwavering love of a pet without the responsibility or financial outlay of owning one for good are renting pets or buying fake substitutes as a second-best option. This phenomenon even enables excuses based on the daily tribulations of a pet owner's life.

Implications - Pet owners continue to identify with their pets or treat them like real children. A former celebrity hair stylist created her own line of wigs for dogs in a variety of styles. Gucci launched a doggy backpack. New York City played host to a Pet Fashion Week, complete with canine runway models. The multi-billion dollar pet industry shows no signs of losing demand, with pet owners spending increasingly more on fashion and luxury items. It's a good time to see if any of your products or services could extend to the four-legged set.

Implications - People are increasingly treating animals like people, from wild birds and squirrels on birth control to bundling pets in Doggy Diapers similar to those worn by human infants. Pet fashion has advanced from knit sweaters to lace up sneakers and even wigs for dogs. This growing niche provides a major opportunity for companies willing to go animal

Implications - Cute animals like pandas and puppies have historically been surefire style successes, but hipsters are now leaning towards unlikely animals like narwhals to set themselves aside from the masses. Mother Nature's forgotten creatures like narwhals and wolves are now at the forefront of fashion.

Implications - Pet owners have long been treating their furry friends as children of their own, but now the royal treatment is being taken one step further with an increase in unlikely cat innovations. Felines are getting first-class service with cat-oriented products including journals, TV shows, blogs, careers and camps.

Implications - Pet humanization has advanced into full-blown pet luxury, with fads such as pet fashion evolving into pet couture and pet day cares into pet spas, as well as expertly prepared pet food and cuisine gaining its own place in the luxury market. A market in luxury pet services is burgeoning, in which companies in both pet products and luxury goods can position themselves.

Implications - The pet care industry is booming, and now technological advancements in pet care are adding fuel to the fire. For busy consumers, tech products for pets, from grooming to pet sitting, are providing convenient ways to care for their furry friends. As we become more immersed in our digital worlds, it only follows that our cuddly companions do so as well.

Implications - The boundaries of what should and should not be shared are being blurred, as social media allows any consumer to share every aspect of his or her life. Some are even creating entire blogs and social media accounts in the names of their pets or children. The creation of an online presence for a being that can’t even voice their own opinion raises doubt about consumer concern for privacy, and poses the question, is anything sacred anymore?