Packaging for Pets and Their Human Parents: What to Consider

 

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Like many industries, pet food manufacturers face more complexities than ever before in the marketplace. From changing consumer preferences to retailer sustainability initiatives, all brands must balance numerous factors to deliver quality products and reach more consumers.

However, pet food brands face unique challenges — and opportunities — in reaching the modern consumer. For one, pet humanization and the rise in pet ownership have led to explosive growth in the market, which means greater standards for product quality and more competition between brands. Pet owners have now begun to identify more as pet “parents” and think of their dog or cat as a member of their family.

This belief means pet parents will “go to greater lengths to keep their [pets] healthy,” according to an article by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It creates a demand for high-quality products, whether that be food, treats or supplements. Pet owners now more often seek out human-grade ingredients, healthy or protein-rich options, or food with fewer fillers. Increasingly, they also look for raw, freeze-dried, fresh or other novel products.

Whether you’re an established brand expanding your offerings or a startup focused on novelty products, packaging is crucial to reaching consumers with increasingly dynamic needs. It offers functional benefits, such as product protection, and communicates your brand’s story, values and key messaging points. It also plays a critical role in the consumer experience — and for pet brands, in showcasing that pets are just as important as their human counterparts.

If you’re a pet food producer looking to gain new consumers, here’s what you should consider as you navigate packaging options.

Protecting Pets and Their Food

One of the most important considerations for pet food packaging is function. That is, how well the package will house, transport and protect the product, and how long it will keep the product fresh. Functional packaging is crucial for any product, but can be especially critical for pet food brands navigating new products and markets. Raw, freeze-dried and fresh pet food in particular are all still relatively new in the marketplace, and, while consumers want to feed their pets high-quality ingredients, they are also concerned about contamination and foodborne illness. Packaging barriers can help reduce the risk of contamination from outside sources while preserving product integrity, both of which are crucial to pet health and the consumer experience of your product.

That makes packaging materials, research and development, and regular barrier testing particularly important in your processes. The right pet food packaging partner can help you navigate these functional considerations and others, such as how to protect your product in e-commerce. Contact us to learn more about packaging formats for novelty pet food products.

What Do You Want Your Pet Food Packaging to Communicate?

In addition to its function, packaging offers another key benefit: storytelling. Consumers want to know about the food they’re feeding their pets, but that goes beyond an ingredients list or guaranteed analysis. Like the food they eat themselves, pet parents increasingly want the story of the food — where it came from, how it was produced, whether it is sustainable. They also want feeding instructions, particularly for novelty products that they aren’t used to feeding their pets (such as fresh food).

In terms of attributes, according to Nielsen IQ, as animal lovers, pet parents naturally gravitate to claims such as “humane,” “ethical,” and “cruelty-free.” In fact, certified humane pet products grew substantially in sales over the past two years (110%), accounting for $11 million in sales. Products labeled as ethical grew 48% to $11.7 million and “cruelty-free” products increased by 10%, according to the same article.

Like other sectors, sustainability is top of mind for pet food consumers. According to Nielsen IQ, sales of products with recycled packaging grew 40% in the last two years. Mintel also notes that pet food brands will need to prioritize sustainability as concerns about packaging waste continue to grow. Mintel advises that brands will also need to guide consumers on what makes their products sustainable and how to recycle the packaging.

How to do it? Messaging.

Whether your product falls under one of these categories or includes other claims, like “grain-free,” “made in the U.S.A.,” “whole animal protein” or something else, leverage the real estate packaging provides to make these talking points prominent. With larger side panels, standup pouches offer even more space to tell your story. You can also use tactile features, dual finishes and visual callouts to play up important attributes.

Messaging isn’t the only way to communicate your story, however. Packaging format, customization and the consumer experience also tie into the larger narrative of your brand. Sustainable packaging, for example, gives you another way to follow through on your values. Closures communicate that you care about preserving freshness and maintaining product integrity over multiple uses. Learn more about packaging for the consumer experience….

Standing Out With Custom Pet Food Packaging

As more premium pet food brands and products emerge, visual appeal will become even more pivotal in catching consumers’ attention. Attractive packaging is still one of the biggest influences on buying decisions, and it provides yet another opportunity to educate consumers on your unique selling points and brand story.

In a recent study on packaging design and its influence on consumer buying decisions, Nielsen BASES used eye-tracking and real-time brain response data to investigate conscious and unconscious behaviors as consumers shopped. BASES found that “packaging must do a unique job throughout every phase of the consumer journey.”

Fortunately, printing and packaging technologies offer countless ways to customize your packaging, from bold color schemes and dynamic finishes to understated touches that create a premium feel, such as infinite edges, product windows or rounded corners. Coupled with compelling messaging and effective function, visual design only strengthens the attractiveness of your product.

Getting Started With Pet Food Packaging

No matter where you are in your brand’s journey, Belmark is here to help. Our research and development experts can help you engineer a package that works for your product, keeping the right amount of moisture and oxygen locked in (or keeping it out). We also offer Launch™ Prototypes to help you see how your pet food packaging will look and feel on the shelf. And, with no order minimums and a lead time of three weeks or less, you’ll also be able to get your packaging when you need it, improving speed to market.