A Pet Retailer's Guide to Animal Healthcare | Featured Articles | petbusiness.com – Pet Business Magazine

Since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the entire world just two short years ago, no topic became more of interest to the public than healthcare. As healthcare suddenly became at the forefront of every decision, from venturing out to the grocery store to hugging loved ones, that hyper awareness translated from humans down to their pets.
Of course, the pandemic wasn’t the only factor influencing awareness; pet healthcare concerns have been trending upward for some time now. As pet parents realized the benefits of supplements and other remedies on their own lives, they translated these same principles over to their pets’ care. For retailers, this means there is a huge opportunity to drive new business by carrying all the healthcare products that pet parents need—as long as they’re well educated.
“Healthcare, if properly understood and utilized as a service and with sales, can contribute greatly to the success of a retail store,” says Susan Goldstein, co-founder of Earth Animal and manager of Earth Animal’s retail store. “The knowledge that goes into selling healthcare products properly, based upon the animals’ individual needs, is the strongest point of differentiation. Healthcare represents repeat business, as foods and supplements become part of the dog or cat’s daily routine. They lead the way for additional purchases in other categories, such as supplies.”
Healthcare products are good for business, the pet and the pet parent, and provide various upsell, cross-sell and add-on opportunities. With pet parents wanting their pets to be healthy in ALL aspects of their lives, healthcare in retail is going to become commonplace in stores across the nation.
“The impact of the pandemic on pet parents’ demand for proven at-home, non-drug wellness products will continue to have a lasting effect and have become the new normal,” says Debra Decker, director of marketing for Pet King Brands. “This is because of the additional value placed on pets and their companionship they provided us during very trying and isolating times coupled with limited access and the rising costs of veterinary services.”
 
This focus on pet healthcare didn’t just emerge out of nowhere with the pandemic, though. Perhaps the biggest trend strengthening the lens on pet healthcare is the increased humanization of pets. With pets dubbed the new children for Millennials and Gen Zers, per findings from the American Pet Products Association, this trend is continuing to grow.
“Pet parents are concerned about the health, welfare and comfort of their pets,” says Decker. “This philosophy has increased over the years because of the humanization of pets and idea that pets are family, increased access to health information due to the internet and a greater awareness of their own health translating to increased awareness of their pets’. All the pandemic did was amplify these concerns and awareness.”
It’s not only humanization bringing healthcare to the forefront; an additional trend is the strides that manufacturers are making in formulating products. Ever since the infamous pet food recall of 2007, providers of pet consumables have been refining and enhancing their formulas to provide additional benefits to create a more holistic product. 
“Retail trends can definitely influence healthcare particularly when it comes to innovation in foods and supplements,” says Goldstein. “CBD is the perfect example, as it paved the way for a whole new level of interest in healthcare. We believe the success of CBD has opened the door for general supplements and condition specific supplements.”
Of course, healthcare is no simple topic. If the legislature and confusion surrounding CBD taught the industry anything, it’s that education is the key foundation to curating any sort of retail selection.
“Education is critical when it comes to healthcare,” says Goldstein. “The objective of healthcare is to offer products, education and services which enable pet parents to achieve their goals which is to offer quality of life and increased longevity, if possible. This requires education and ongoing studies.”
 
Building on the foundation of education is the importance of understanding the ins and outs of a chosen manufacturer’s products, which includes everything from sourcing to packaging. For most reputable healthcare product providers, veterinarians provide the formulation for all consumables to ensure maximum safety and efficacy. Education doesn’t end there, however, as retailers need to take it a step further and understand the qualifications and expertise of the veterinarian behind the brand.
Luckily, “Earth Animal has the advantage of having Dr. Bob Goldstein at the helm of product development,” says Goldstein. “Dr. Bob has over 40 years of clinical experience treating dogs and cats using nutrition (foods and supplements as a modality). He took many of his protocols and remedies, which worked particularly on cancer patients and reformulated them to meet the most common conditions pet parents face with their dogs and cats daily.”
Additionally, retailers should look to partner with companies that are transparent with their offerings and solutions. Even better is teaming up with a manufacturer who creates condition-specific solutions that reflect some of the biggest and most recurring challenges pet parents face. Plus, partnering with manufacturers who offer solutions that prove their worth helps accelerate sales.
“For example, the top reasons for a trip to the veterinarian for both dogs and cats are ear infections, itchy allergy skin and dental problems,” says Decker. “Pet King Brands’ veterinarian-recommended remedy products, ZYMOX Enzymatic Dermatology and Oratene Brushless Oral Care, are products for prevention and resolution of these conditions that are often recurring for many, many pets. Providing products such as ZYMOX and Oratene helps to build loyalty to the retailer while ultimately helping dogs and cats find relief for common healthcare problems.”
 
After curating a collection of reputable healthcare products, it’s time to merchandise and market healthcare products. The secret to offering healthcare products is to position it as a “one stop shop” for consumers, Decker explains.
“Consumables, such as diets and treats have historically accounted for most of the retailer’s repeat business,” she continued. “Healthcare products that solve problems that commonly affect both dogs and cats are in great demand and represent an additional revenue stream that can also translate into repeated business.”
For Goldstein, an effective strategy she uses to attract customers in-store is to parlay health events centered around specific products. Event-type in-store experiences help generate product awareness and, predictably, bring people into the store. 
“Aligning national and local calendar events with products and seminars is a powerful way to introduce healthcare in your store,” says Goldstein. “Inviting local veterinarians to lecture or voice their concerns is also an excellent way to promote healthcare, such as how to administer first aid. In-store demos offering a visual and tactile experience of foods and supplements work effectively.”
However, as diligent as retailers are with their education and research, some pet parents are still apprehensive to take advice from someone who isn’t their veterinarian. To that, it’s beneficial for retailers to build relationships with veterinarians in the area—and they can even be tapped in to help on the event side. 
“There is an opportunity to partner with local veterinarians,” says Goldstein. “Earth Animal actually lists and refers to veterinarians in the community who align with its philosophy. It always offers a platform for local veterinarians who want to go public with information. We also feature ‘Ask Our Vet’ live stream with Dr. Kris Hansen on Facebook, which is an ongoing educational service, which covers all aspects of healthcare.”
It’s clear that there’s a strong market for retailers to expand their offerings to incorporate modern trends, specifically healthcare. Through education, product awareness and strong partnerships, retailers can thrive with healthcare offerings in-store.  PB
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