By Mark Seavy  

The continued humanization of pets was on full display at SuperZoo in Las Vegas last week, from charcuterie boards to dog-friendly ice cream and everything in between. 

That includes Smartpaw’s “Meowijuana” range that replaces cannabis with catnip and is sold in jars and bags filled with “buds.” The brand’s website underscored the marketing with the phrase “Wasted Away Again in Meowijuanaville” in a play on the late Jimmy Buffett’s song. Other offerings include catnip “joints” and Crunchie Munchies treats. 

Throughout SuperZoo, the various food and snack items featured catchphrases more commonly associated with products for people, like “all-natural,” as well as ingredients like pre-biotics, probiotics, and amino acids. There was also a broad offering of frozen and refrigerated meals that at are increasingly finding homes in freezer cases at retail. That includes Fresh Pet, which has prime placement in the pet food section of the Stop & Shop grocery chain.  

This trend toward humanizing pet products was further underscored by Omaha Steaks’ recent licensing of its brand to Pets + People for dog treats, biscuits, and chews. 

“Previously, our freezer space was just raw food,” Luke Johnson, owner of the Denver, CO-based pet specialty retailer Luke and Company told Pet Product News. “Gently cooked is growing nationally because of direct-to-consumer brands like Farmer’s Dog, and they’re huge. With us carrying that, it gives us an opportunity to earn the business of those people who are buying online right now.” In fact, the eCommerce distribution channel now accounts for 30-35% of pet products sales.  

And taking advantage of these shifts are critical to the pet business given that U.S. sales are expected to reach $67.8 billion this year in an overall market that will hit $157 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association.  

Following the pandemic-driven surge in pet ownership, the market is expected to continue to expand with sales projected to increase 3-4% this year, said Sumit Singh, CEO at Chewy. Chewy recently launched pet Halloween costumes and carries Lamb Chop (Multipet), Nerf (Gramercy Products), and Heinecanine (HugSmart) toys. Those products are in addition to Jazwares’ Chew Mees by Squishmallows dog toys and Authentic Brands Group’s licensing of the Izod brand to K9 Wear for dog apparel and mesh harnesses. 

“We are optimizing our product assortment to more closely align with consumer demand. We are allocating more shelf space to higher productivity brands and SKUs,” said Joel Anderson, CEO at retailer Petco Health and Wellness Co., which recently revamped both its cat and dog product sections. “A key focus is centered around adding capacity for top-selling SKUs by eliminating lower productivity SKUs.” This shift involves increasing shelf space 10% for better-performing items. 

As part of the revamping of its stores, Petco is also deploying a new end cap strategy that focuses more on new products, spotlights innovation, features seasonal items, and promotes value, Anderson said. Previously, the displays were more “transactional” deals with vendors. 

“We continue to see the humanization of pets and that is leading to premium items as customers want more medicine, better supplements, and food for their pets to improve pet health,” Singh said.