Pets are becoming more and more like family. For many Millennials, they’re essentially furry (or feathery) children, with the added benefit that you can, in good conscience, post their funniest and most embarrassing moments on social media. (There’s no pet privacy controversy to worry about, so the ranks of catfluencers and dogfluencers are burgeoning.)
As a pet food manufacturer, understanding this shift in pet ownership and the associated needs and desires of “pet parents” (as they now call themselves) is a vital part of designing packaging that sells. How would parents choose food for their human children? Would they be OK with forever chemicals leaching from the packaging? Absolutely not!
When you understand how people view their pets, and how they engage with pet products like canned wet food and cat litter, you’ll discover ways to make your messaging and packaging design resonate better with them. Let’s dig into some pet food packaging trends that can improve sales and keep your products on the shelf.
People truly want to give their pets their best life. Google “how to increase your dog’s IQ” or “how to make your goldfish happier” and you’ll find no shortage of tutorials. There are talking buttons for cats, elaborate foraging toys for birds, and calming playlists specifically for “pet relaxation.”
Tasty, nutritious food is a huge part of health and happiness for any species, and humans are starting to project their own thirst for macronutrients and specific health benefits (gut health, brain support) onto their pets. It’s not that people didn’t love their pets in the 80’s — it’s just that awareness has skyrocketed. We know so much more about how certain animals — even down to the dog breed — can benefit from a specialized diet plan.
From pet care brand Floof’s instagram
So, calling out specific nutrients and health benefits is key. Rather than keeping things general, it makes the most sense to target a particular pet health need or dog breed. Somebody will be on the lookout for a product just like yours! If you’re having trouble narrowing things down, MaxDiff analysis can help you determine what resonates most with pet owners.
Just as we humans are learning more regarding the health risks posed by chemicals in the environment, pet parents are growing more conscious about how chemicals in packaging could affect their pets’ health.
“Forever chemicals” like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic compounds that help make things resistant to water, stains, and grease. These practically indestructible compounds are detrimental to our health, and yet they’re everywhere. For our pets, who live shorter lives than we do, these chemicals can be even more dangerous — and they’re in a lot of pet food packaging.
Another chemical of concern is bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor. Long-term exposure to BPA, which is used to coat some wet food cans, is thought to have a negative impact on the health of cats and dogs (although there’s less evidence for this than there is for human health implications).
Health-conscious pet owners are likely to prefer pet food and treat packaging that calls out the absence of these types of chemicals. Highlight can help with claims testing to make sure you’re getting the right message out to potential buyers.
When packaging pet food like kibble that’s meant to contain multiple servings, resealing is something you should optimize. This helps maintain freshness and keeps your pantry smelling decent.
All types of packaging should be easy to open and unlikely to result in a surprise mess. Nobody wants to get turkey and giblets splatter all over their carpet or hands when they’re serving His Highness the Master of the House, A.K.A. Fluffbutt!
Portion sizes are also something to consider, given that the right pet food packaging design can help mete out the right meal portions. Cat obesity is a real problem in many households because many people unintentionally overfeed their cats. (This results in the cats ultimately needing to go to specialized, professionally-run weight loss programs involving underwater treadmills that force them to exert themselves.)
We’ve all seen the viral video of Denver the Guilty Dog who bit an entire chunk out of a pack of “Party Mix” for cats. Although Denver was rightly sent to the penalty box, the cat food manufacturer deserves some of the blame for making it so easy to get into. (IT’S NOT ALL DENVER’S FAULT!!)
With pets, you need to think about several categories of tamper-proof: claw-proof, tooth-proof, possibly even beak-proof. This is important not just for avoiding messes, but also for making sure they don’t end up bingeing an entire bag of treats (once again, pet obesity is a serious issue).
Thoroughly testing the packaging takes time. It’s not every day that your cat sneaks into your pantry, but when she does, you know. It also takes a while for the food to lose its freshness. If you want to understand the pouch or carton’s efficacy at keeping food fresh and keeping pets out of it, you need to do longitudinal testing: a study format in which you repeatedly survey participants over a prolonged period of time.
Pet Food Industry magazine reported that pet owners are more likely than non-pet owners to care about sustainability. This is also true of younger people in general. In fact, 71% of Millennials and 76% of Gen Z respondents to a Highlight survey on sustainability said that they’d either switched brands or quit purchasing a product over sustainability concerns.
That said, many pet owners are also wise to “greenwashing” ploys by businesses, and they tend to be skeptical about sustainability claims. If your packaging shouts about sustainability in a way that comes across like you’re trying to simply grab more money from buyers, you’ll probably turn people off. Higher price points can work, but only when buyers feel like they can verify for themselves that these claims are legit.
Packaging is something that people can examine with their own eyes, and pet owners have been shown to strongly prefer sustainable packaging. Consumers trust these claims, especially regarding recyclability, and clarity is key.
It’s quite an exciting time to be in the packaging business, given how much innovation is currently taking place. Now we have what’s known as “smart packaging” that uses sensing technologies to make sure the contents are staying at the right temperature and the right level of humidity.
Smart sensors in pet food packaging can keep tabs on freshness around the clock and let you know when the food is getting close to the expiration date. If you’ve got a huge bag of dog treats that’s about to lose its freshness, then maybe it’s time to go to the dog park and offer them to other dog parents or donate them to your local dog-friendly café.
Once again, longitudinal testing can be a great way to verify whether these technological enhancements add to the user experience.
There’s so much joy in being a pet owner. Pets are linked to improved mental health, reduced feelings of loneliness, and a greater likelihood of building connections with people we might otherwise not get along with. There’s no political divide over laughing at a parrot that makes farting noises and then screeches “I’m a superstar!”
So, feel free to dial up the joy and the cuteness to 110%! Remind pet owners just how much better their lives are when their pets are happy and healthy. Photos of frisky dogs at play or wide-eyed cats salivating over tuna purée will always catch their attention.
The best way to know how well your pet food packaging performs is to ask real pet owners. With in-home usage testing (IHUT), you can send people a typical package and find out what they think about its quality, usability, and appropriateness to their pets’ needs.
Ethnographic studies of the pet owner lifestyle and nuanced, qualitative data from surveys and interviews are key. Find out where people store the pet food, how they typically serve it to their pet, and what types of pet health concerns they’re keeping an eye on.
Competition is fierce, but if you tap into pet parent concerns like nutrition, usability, freshness, and more with your pet food packaging design, you can attract first-time buyers and keep loyal customers coming back for more. (Of course, the food itself needs to live up to the hype.)
Having a deep understanding of the target customer — the doting pet parent — is the sine qua non. The products are just as much for the owner as they are for the pets. If you’re unsure of which strategy to go with, testing out different options with IHUT can give you pertinent insights.
And, of course, don’t forget to share your customers’ unbridled joy in loving on their pets!