MarketPlace Study Finds Pet Owners Would Cut Food, Healthcare Before Pets’ Expenses

US pet supplement shoppers are more likely to cut spending on their own food, transportation, healthcare, housing and insurance before pet-related expenses, according to a new survey.

“Many pet parents consider their pets family, and these relationships influence their purchase behaviors and priorities,” said Nicole Hill, Executive Director of Strategy at MarketPlace, the St. Louis- based brand strategy firm that authored the study. “Pet supplement shoppers tend to be early adopters who also prioritize pet-related expenses. Brands that successfully build relationships with these pet parents serve the audience’s functional needs and share in their personal values.”

When asked what they would cut first to reduce monthly spending, only three percent of pet supplement shoppers said they would cut pet-related expenses. While they are most likely to cut non-essential categories like entertainment (64 percent) and apparel (38 percent), 19 percent said they would cut their own food expenses, 8 percent would reduce transportation costs and 5 percent would spend less on healthcare.

MarketPlace examined attitudes and behavioral trends in purchasing nutritional supplements for pets. Key findings included:

• When purchasing a pet supplement, most pet parents surveyed said they first look for a condition-specific benefit, like joint support, followed by price and then brand.
• More than one-third of pet supplement shoppers conduct online searches when researching pet health. Similarly, more than one-third seek pet health information from friends and family.
• Attributes like “vet recommended,” “clinically proven,” and “all natural” are likely to inspire confidence in a pet supplement.

“Validation—from a vet, clinical trials or even online reviews—builds confidence; that’s why pet parents look to sources with authority and experience,” said Hill, who on May 17, 2023, presented findings from the firm’s annual survey at the National Animal Supplement Council’s Annual Conference for the fourth consecutive year.

As a full-service research and branding firm, MarketPlace uses insights from its proprietary research to inform business, brand and media strategies and activations for pet brands of all sizes. Detailed findings and insights about pet supplement trends from the company’s annual research are available on its website. A white paper providing the latest data and year-over-year comparisons on formats, ingredients, spending, shopping channels and more will be available later this year.