15Aug/10by

Even as the economic picture improves, consumers remain cautious about spending, including in terms of the pet products they buy. Having lived up to its “recession-resistant” reputation once again, the business therefore continues to face challenges that have retailers, marketers and product developers relying more heavily than ever before on the all-important notion of pets as family. Accordingly, themes including health, function, comfort, safety, gifting, travel, and yes pet pampering are all weighing heavily on the value scale as market participants look to strike the perfect balance in pet categories across the board.

Tapping into extensive pet market report collection and analyst expertise, Pet Supplies and Pet Care Products in the U.S., 8th Edition: Pet Health and Pampering: The New Value Equation provides detailed market breakouts and insights not available elsewhere. Covering non-food pet supplies of all types and for all companion animal types, the report examines trends in flea/tick care products, cat litter, toys, rawhide chews, bedding, grooming products, supplements, clean-up products and many other product segments. Using 2009 as the base year, it charts sales since 2005 and forecasts sales through 2014; breaks the market out by animal type and product category in both the mass-market and pet specialty channels; presents dollar sales and market share for leading marketers and brands; analyzes competitive strategies and shifts; profiles top companies and market innovators; analyzes new product trends; and provides demographic and psychographic profiles of product purchasers.

Trends examined include product positioning vis-à-vis the new economy; product humanization and pet pampering; natural, organic and “green” appeals; corporate responsibly and cause marketing; celebrity marketing and licensing (here comes Martha!); pet travel and convenience products; and gift/holiday fare. Special features include an expanded discussion of pet supplies purchasing by change in economic situation and by retail channel, focusing on cross-channel shopping and shopper loyalty; and proprietary pet owner survey data collected by  focusing on the economy and on the natural/organic products segment.

Meanwhile, pet market themes including humanization, health and convenience drive the world market for pet supplies, while taking on different meanings according to level of market development. And primarily because of these trends—coupled with the ongoing expansion of major multinational pet product marketers, pharmaceutical outfits, and big-box retailers—global sales of pet care products continue to rise despite the economic times. Pet Supplies and Pet Care Products: Global Market Overview 2010 charts global sales of non-food pet products for the 2005-2009 and 2009-2014 periods, comparing sales of non-food supplies with sales of pet food and pet products overall, and providing additional 2009 breakouts by world region, marketer and distribution channel. New product trends are quantified in terms of number of product launches (reports and SKUs), which are further broken out by world region, marketer, and package tag/marketing claim. Trends in the all-important BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China are charted separately, as is the market involvement of Spectrum Brands (United Pet Group and Tetra), Canada’s Rolf C. Hagen, Hartz Mountain (owned by Japan’s Sumitomo) and leading pet market catalog/online seller Drs. Foster & Smith.

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