Building Awareness for Pet Supplements

Key Takeaways

Supplements on the Rise, But Awareness Low

“One of the fastest growing areas in the pet space is health and wellness and the supplement space, but the awareness is still very low” said Greenberg. He highlighted that 84% of humans take supplements, while fewer than 30% of dogs and fewer than 20% of cats do. Consumers are interested in learning more. “[Our] brand is moving into an omnichannel brand where consumers can also get educated and learn about our brand and the category.”

The Next Wave of Humanization: Proactive Care

Pet owners are increasingly treating their pets as they would a child or relative. Within the broader humanization trend, the relatively new pet supplements category is poised for a transition from reactive care to proactive care as pet parents seek to support the ongoing wellbeing of their pets. “Where we'd really like to take health and wellness and supplements is around proactive health, where it becomes part of the regimen, whether that may be a multivitamin or whether that may be a probiotic, but that will not only help pets live longer and healthier lives, it will also help scale this category that is still pretty low in the awareness and penetration standpoint,” said Greenberg.

Omnichannel is Critical

Pet Honesty sees great opportunity for omnichannel brands in the broader pet care market. “We want to be where the consumers are and we want to provide multiple options for the consumer to find our product, to learn about the category, to learn about our brand and how it plays within it,” he shared. Pet Honestly launched digitally to start via Amazon and Chewy. It’s since expanded to Petco, Tractor Supplies and Pet Supplies Plus, with a broader launch in Pet Specialty on the horizon. Having a presence in digital and brick-and-mortar channels “create[s] a bit of a flywheel not only for growth, but also around category education and consumer education around the category.”

Education is a Challenge for Brands – But Consumers Are Seeking It Out

Consumer education is a challenge for pet wellness brands. In addition to providing resources to help consumers learn about pet supplements, navigate the market and understand how they can help their pets, Pet Honesty uses other avenues as education opportunities. “We actually have a QR code on a lot of our displays where a consumer can answer 8-10 questions about their pet. We obviously we tell them to consult their vet or what have you, but after 8-10 questions, ‘Hey, here are a few supplements that you may want to consider that may be a fit for your dog after they've answered those questions.’”