Pet care trends: What’s in store for 2021?

Pandemic or no, global pet care sales continue to rise and the market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% during 2020-2025. At-home living and increased isolation have boosted pet ownership rates, leading to growth momentum in pet care sales.

What matters to pet owners in 2021 and how can packaging make a difference? Below, we discuss four pet food industry trends shaping the industry right now.

1. __Spending on pets continues to climb __

With human contact limited by coronavirus restrictions, many people brought new pets into their lives. In the US, the pet population grew by 4%. In the UK, the pandemic prompted an increase in pet adoptions, despite the closure of adoption centers.

Millennials are increasingly joining the ranks of pet owners. According to a survey by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, 35% of young adults (age 24-35) have already become new pet owners – or are planning to add a pet to their families, and 2.1 million (19%) brought home a new pet during lockdown.

This increase in pet companionship is good news for the pet care industry. In 2020, Nestlé reported strong organic growth, with Purina PetCare as the largest contributor by product categories.

Home seclusion has fostered pet bonding and strengthened the humanization of pets trend.(1) According to a recent study by Mars Petcare, pet parents are more eager than ever to treat their loyal companions as extensions of the family. They want their pets to be cared for, as healthy as possible and are not scaling back their spending.

The American Pet Products Association in a June 2020 survey found that 64% of pet owners have spent the same amount of money on their pets as they did pre-pandemic — and 21% have spent either a little or a lot more. In 2020, British supermarkets saw a 2.2% year on year increase in value sales of pet food and cat litter. What is more, the number of units sold has fallen, indicating that shoppers are trading up in their pet food and litter purchases.(2)

Increased spending on pet products means increased expectations for its packaging. To win over pet parents, it is important that brands understand their customers’ experiences – the good and the bad.

To better understand the pet owners’ customer journey, and their experience with its packaging, Amcor analyzed over 3 million online user reviews and comments about 3,249 pet care products across the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Poland to identify their top likes and dislikes about packaging.

For pet owners, one of the features that matters most is reclosability, where the packaging is easy to open and close. Many consumers are left frustrated with pet food and snacks packaging that cannot be tightly reclosed after opening, repeatedly. Reclosablility affects product freshness, not to mention the odor that can fill the whole room if pet food is not sealed properly.

One solution for this is our Stripe&Zip feature which is designed to open easily and reclose tightly to minimize odor.

Fussy packing that causes easy spills (wasting pet food), splashes or odor on hands continues to be one of the biggest frustrations for dog and cat owners according to user reviews. Amcor’s classic stand up pouch offers an easy-peel feature which ensures the package tears open cleanly and is mess free, making it more attractive for pet owners.

Our research also reflected pet owners’ desire for more sustainable, recyclable pet care packaging. This has led many pet food manufacturers and retailers to actively seek ways to reduce packaging waste across the industry.

2. Environmental concerns still a priority

While the pandemic has affected many aspects of consumer shopping behaviour, sustainability continues to be a key concern and hot issue for consumers all over the world. Indeed, the recent dip in carbon emissions due to COVID restrictions have only added to the growing conversations around sustainability and what the future should look like in a post-COVID reality.

In April 2020, a survey by Accenture found that the pandemic is causing consumers to seriously consider the health and environmental impacts of their shopping choices. Almost half (45%) of consumers said they’re making more sustainable choices when shopping and will likely continue to do so.

Amcor research into European pet owners’ buying behaviour showed that more than two-thirds of pet owners across France, Germany, Italy and the UK believe climate change and plastic pollution are the two biggest environmental concerns. Reducing environmental impact is starting to overtake price as the priority buying factor for many. Being asked to choose between 4 packs of the same product with high quality, taste and health benefits for their pet, 90% of pet owners say they are willing to pay more for a more sustainable packaging option.

__Download Amcor’s research report to find out what European pet owners think about sustainability claims on packaging and how this impacts their purchasing choices. __

Our research also found that ignoring that eco friendly pet food packaging is important to pet owners is a threat to brand loyalty.

Nearly 75% of consumers say they are willing to switch brands to get more sustainable packaging. However, many find sustainability information on pet care products to be confusing.

This provides pet care brands with an opportunity to establish themselves as sustainability ambassadors. They can use clear and visible logos and messaging to help consumers understand the sustainability credentials of different packaging choices.

To better understand the full carbon footprint of their packaging and identify opportunities for environmental performance improvement, Amcor can provide pet care brands with a packaging lifecycle assessment using ASSET, our lifecycle assessment methodology, which is certified by the Carbon Trust.

Find out more about ASSET™ and how our customers have used this tool to make more informed packaging decisions here.

We recently worked with Nestlé to bring to market the first recyclable retort pouch for wet cat food that preserves freshness while providing a more sustainable packaging alternative. This high-barrier, high-heat resistant, packaging can be easily recycled within plastic recycling streams already existing in several European countries.

Read more about how our teams created the word’s first recyclable retort pouch or watch our video.

__3. Pet owners are looking for natural pet food __

One of the major consequences of pet humanization is the desire to move to food that is less processed and contains fewer and fresher ingredients. UK brand Harringtons launched its product “Just 6” in 2019, so called because it only contains six ingredients. The brand quickly became the bestselling dry dog food in supermarkets, overtaking Bakers.

Last year, 53% of pet food and pet product launches in Europe featured a natural claim, with the “no additives/preservatives” claim seen in 43% of launches.(3) Amcor research also shows that shoppers prioritise their pet’s health when buying pet food, with organic/less processed food claims influencing their purchases for 13% of buyers.

The emerging organic pet food trends to reduce meat consumption and choosing lower carbon footprint foods is also making their way to pets’ diets.

In 2020, Nestlé announced the launch of a new range of its Purina pet food made partly from insect and plant proteins. The cat and dog food, initially to be sold only in Switzerland, combines black soldier fly larvae protein with plant proteins and some meat. Another example is London-based start-up The Pack, which aims at “transforming the industry” by providing vegan pet food that uses a blend of plant-based protein.

Source: Amcor research

Innovations like Amcor’s MaXQ digitalised packaging provide an on-pack connection to build relationships (and trust) with pet owners. A quick smartphone scan of the MaXQ pack can immediately connect the consumer to a wealth of information, such as the pet food’s origin, in-depth information on its nutritional value and its journey to the retailer. It also allows brands to track and trace individual packs, helping to fight counterfeiting and, in some cases, to optimise the supply chain.

__4. Ecommerce is reshaping pet food packaging trends __

COVID-19 is accelerating a shift to eCommerce that was already reshaping pet care.(4) Social distancing has generated a surge in online orders and led to growth for new models like direct-to-consumer solutions.

Tails.com, which Nestlé Purina acquired a major stake of in 2019, took the opportunity to expand in the summer of 2020, launching in six new countries. Mars Petcare launched a digital platform to enable ordering and home delivery of Royal Canin products in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Leading pet eCommerce players are among the big winners in 2020: Chewy, Zooplus and Pets at Home have all reported higher online growth than initially predicted. According to Euromonitor, store-based retail globally is predicted to see a 3% decline versus the previous year, with pet owners increasingly embracing the convenience of at home delivery but also the cost-saving benefits of a wider choice of products online.

With demand for buying pet care products online likely to accelerate in 2021 and beyond, now is the time for brands to get their primary packaging ready for the eCommerce boom. Products delivered directly to consumers go through many more touchpoints and risk damage more than with traditional retail. In fact, the average eCommerce pack is dropped 17 times on route.

In 2019, Amcor opened two ecommerce testing laboratories where our packaging experts test and certify packaging for customers from around the world. Amcor is an official participant in the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network (APASS). Our laboratories are certified to test packaged products for ISTA 6A, Amazon’s International Safe Transit Association 6 certification. The certification requires packaging to pass tests that simulate the journey from manufacturer to doorstep.

Pet care brands that adapt to the shift in buying behaviors and deliver the best user experience will win the eCommerce game.

__Find out more about our ecommerce packaging solutions and services
Download our ebook: Packaging Innovation – Winning With Ecommerce
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So there you have it, our top four pet care trends to watch in 2021. How will your brand capitalise on them to improve the experience for pet owners?

Learn more about Amcor’s full offering of pet food packaging for wet pet food, dry pet food and treats. Contact us and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your pet care packaging needs. Want to stay up to date on the latest industry trends? Sign up to our newsletter.

(1) - Euromonitor International Forecast for the Pet care industry 2020
(2) - Mars Petcare – State of the pet nation report, 2020
(3) - Lightspeed/Mintel, Mintel GNPD
(4) - Euromonitor International’s Pet care forecast