Pet Industry Insight

 

President of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) Enters the Blogosphere

As president of the largest trade association of one of the largest industries, I have been quoted in CNN< The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. I have appeared on CNBC, World News Tonight and was just in New York last week for tapings of Good Morning America and Martha Stewart. I even write a quarterly article for a high tech online magazine. But, I must admit, the world of 'new' media is just that, new to me. But, if presidential candidacies are being announced on You Tube, I can have a blog! (My sons will be so proud of their 57 year old dad!). So, here it is, the inaugural 'Pet Industry Insight'!

If you've stumbled upon this blog, you are probably involved in or researching the pet industry. So you are likely aware that as a country we have gone to the dogs – and the cats and birds and fish and hamsters. We are a society in love with our pets. More than 70 million households have a pet, and most of these households have more than one pet. In fact, these 71 million pet households are home to more than 350 million dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, snakes, birds, fish and lizards. There are more pets in the United States than there are people. We have made spending on pets the eighth­-largest retail segment. We spent more than $40 billion on our pets last year!

The pet industry is growing by leaps and bounds, and hundreds of new companies pop up every year in this booming business. Americans are intrinsically interested in businesses that boom, especially those that directly impact their daily lives. Hence, this blog that I’m hoping will fill a void in the blogosphere. No current blogs authoritatively look at trends in the pet industry, discuss successful products or companies or analyze where the marketplace is heading. In my blog, I’ll talk about the breadth of influence that this increasing pet ownership is having on many diverse segments of the economy. That perspective should make this blog unique. I’ll explore how businesses grow by intelligently reading the American psyche and understanding what makes us bond with animals, project our own lives and thoughts onto them, and essentially recast them in our image. The blog will serve as a cross-industry overview linking what we know about our growing affinity for pets with the rise of pet products. Weekly, I’ll talk about the fastest-growing pet trends in the U.S., the newest needs of pet owners, and how entrepreneurs are filling those needs. I’ll explore the nuances of one of America’s most interesting and unique industries by providing perspective from one of the pet industry’s leading authorities.

Yes, I’m referring to myself. To give you a little background, I’m president of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association or APPMA as it’s commonly called. APPMA is the largest trade association in the industry and has been around for fifty years. We represent more than 1,000 companies that make pet products and put on the world’s largest annual pet products trade show, Global Pet Expo. I’ve been in the pet industry for 30 years working at a variety of multi-million dollar companies serving in positions ranging from industrial engineer to general counsel to president. I live in Connecticut with my wife and golden retriever Dakota. For more information on me or APPMA, you can check out our website at www.appma.org. In the meantime, I’ll be writing next week’s Pet Industry Insight, and you can expect to hear from me every week. Until then, go pet your pet!

Posted by Bob Vetere, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association

Comments

[Bob Vetere]

Dear Candace

The current economic atmosphere is causing many of us to rethink just how we allocate our more limited resources. Certain areas have to be cut back while other areas require more economical alternatives. While the pet industry is not “recession-proof” it is certainly more resilient than other areas. In many cases we still want to provide extra rewards/gifts/treats/etc for our pets but we need to look for more value priced alternatives in order to meet our budgets. For those who provide higher end, luxury type items it has become increasingly important to gauge the demographics of your marketplace. There are still strong pockets of opportunity/demand for these products but a savvy small businessperson will gauge the demographics of their target market to make sure that it is capable of supporting the proffered products. Offering designer, high-end dog sweaters in a blue collar area particularly hard hit by the economy may not be the best business decision right now.

Bob Vetere

[Candice Piaget]

As a partner in Caserta Pets, a manufacturer of upscale dog collars and jewelry, impeccably handmade in the US, I am concerned about the influx of low quality Asian products carried by box stores in mega malls and its effect on small businesses like ours. I recently read an article on how people are not only content with buying lower quality pet products because of cost, but also because of soaring gas prices - megamalls are ubiquitous, upscale pet boutiques typically concentrated in urban areas. Given the economic profiles of pet owners, can small businesses that produce primarily highend, luxury products survive the influx of poor quality Asian products that have economic appeal to lower and middle-class pet owners because "elite" pet owners will continue to spend for quality merchandise in urban areas? I hope you post this. I am very curious to hear your opinion! Candice Piaget, casertapets.com

[Tierra]

Fantastically written!