More than half of all households in the United States share their lives with at least one pet and that creates a huge, yet largely untapped, market brands should be keeping an eye on. There are many more, but we have three reasons pet parents love to spoil their pets and how your brand can cater to them.
Why do pet parents go out of their way to spend so much on their furbabies? When you understand the connection between pet and pet parent you can use that knowledge and market to pet parents more effectively. To get a better understanding of what makes them tick, here are three reasons why they love to spoil their little ones.
Pets Help Relieve Stress
It’s no secret more and more people are suffering from stress, some of it caused by the coronavirus pandemic, others just the stress of daily life. Fortunately, having a pet can help relieve this stress due to a phenomenon called the "pet effect."
Studies have shown that regularly interacting with a pet can alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and stress. When pet parents cuddle their fur babies, for example, this prompts the body to produce oxytocin, a hormone that induces feelings of happiness. Pet parents also receive an endorphin boost when they take their pets out to exercise with them.
Moreover, the Human and Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) has the numbers to back these claims up. According to their research, 74 percent of respondents reported that becoming pet parents resulted in significant improvements to their mental health.
Pets Fulfill the Human Need for Connection
The Internet has allowed us to make leaps and bounds in terms of connecting with others around the world. Ironically, however, many Americans have reported feeling more socially-isolated than ever before. Though many have thousands of friends on social media, they tend to have only a few close friends and confidantes.
Fortunately, adopting a pet can help reduce feelings of loneliness, especially since they offer love and companionship without asking for anything in return. Plus, having a pet can help facilitate interpersonal connections with other pet parents, providing more opportunities to bond with like-minded individuals.
Pets Are Considered Members of the Family
In the past, pets were kept for utilitarian purposes. For instance, homes would employ cats to hunt down mice, while farms would own dogs to guard the chickens, cattle or sheep.
Today, pets are considered members of the family. It explains why some people have started calling themselves pet parents rather than pet owners, as they view their pets as if they were their own children.
These reasons clearly illustrate why pet parents are so willing to spend for their furbabies’ comfort and happiness. With this in mind, let’s look at a few different ways your brand can attract this target market and build a community of pet-loving brand advocates for you.
How Your Brand Can Appeal to Pet Parents
Simply put, the easiest way to appeal to pet lovers is by investing in pet-related merchandise for your brand. By catering to pets with branded toys or accessories, you’ll position your business as one that loves and treasures animals as much as pet parents do.
You can also hold branded pet-related events such as dog shows, pet fun runs and costume parties in your local community. If your business isn’t pet-related, you can still get in on the action by volunteering to be a sponsor for one. That way, you can promote your business to large groups of pet lovers.
Given all the benefits associated with taking care of pets, it makes sense why pet parents spoil them.
We hope that these insights help you create effective marketing strategies that can connect with pet lovers on an emotional level.