The days are long gone when shopping centre marketing was about bed-making competitions, car giveaways and TV stars on stage in the centre court! It’s now scientific, logical, research-based, customer focused, commercially orientated and… animal friendly!
Fur-baby, feisty feline or reptilian enthusiast. Whatever tickles your fancy, if you have a pet at home you fall into the more than 60% of Australian households to have a pet. With one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, Australians have more than 24 million furry, scaly, swimming or slithering pets, who are increasingly becoming an integral part of the lives of their owners. Many of whom consider them family members – so much so, there is a higher proportion of Australian households that live with a cat or dog than with a child.*
You could argue that by definition, puppy love has moved from human to human affection or ‘crush’ and now fits firmly into the humanisation and pampering pet trend. This is leading to increases in demand and revenue for retailers whom are embracing the trend. While this trend is not new, the sheer scale of growth in the past few years is staggering. As pets become increasingly humanised, households are spending more money on animals than ever before.
Last year, Chinese consumers spent some 17.5 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion) on their pets, which is forecast to rise to 46.3 billion yuan by 2022. Moving closer to home, Australians spend an enormous $12.2 billion per year on their furry family members.
Spending is immense on premium food, dietary supplements and vitamins, pet accessories and treats. This has translated into higher expenditure per pet owned as households spend more on premium products, designer couture and services. And, with that spend comes #petinfluencers.
Driving the social experience is not only the rise of pet influencers like Jiff Pom (jiffpom) with 9.5 million followers and Doug the Pug (itsdougthepug) with 3.8 million followers (and his own brand of shoes), but also the strong pet community.
Sharing and liking photos of pets in all shapes and sizes, is driving a response from designer brands to get on the doggy bandwagon. No longer is it sufficient for some pet owners to dress their pups in functional attire – now, in the world of ‘canine couture’, dogs are dressed in cashmere sweaters, branded sunglasses and collars with precious stones. Social networks are populated by a growing number of ‘celebrity’ dogs and cats, #petinfluencers, who promote products and advise their followers, with some even having their own brand of products.
Burberry and Ralph Lauren vie to fill the seasonal wardrobes of couture canines, while Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton and Hermés provide dapper collars and leads. And when your pooch looks that good you snap, snap, snap and share with your community, big or small, paid or organic.
Not only are we seeing a rise in social media and in the sale of pet products booming, we are also seeing a new shift, where pet owners want to connect, share ‘fur real’ experiences and get out and about with their companions. We are seeing more pet focused events and activities popping up, and while building authentic community experiences is nothing new for shopping centres, in a landscape that is ever evolving, highly competitive and filled with a sense of scepticism towards ‘community connection’, finding themes that are more than tokenistic can be a challenge. Something that speaks to shared experiences, love and sheer passion – that’s when basic animal instinct kicks in.
‘Tails of the West’ by Highpoint Shopping Centre
One example of leveraging this trend as an in-centre event is ‘Tails of the West’ by Highpoint Shopping Centre, where a two-week program was run during the school holidays to give all family members (even the furry ones) a reason to visit. Curated with fun and education in mind, the program of events included canine-themed science workshops run by award-winning medical research scientist, Dr Lorien Parker, helping children understand the inner workings of their much-loved furry companions and culminating with ‘Puppy Palooza’.
Tapping into the social media trend, ‘Puppy Palooza’ was a day dedicated to treating and celebrating customers’ four-legged friends. An outdoor precinct was transformed into a hound haven and shoppers were invited to spoil their pooch with dog photography, a dog café and a catwalk-style fashion show complete with a live DJ, food trucks and pooch friendly treats, all leading to an increase in dwell time.
The program not only appealed to families, but to dog lovers as well. The popularity of pooches on social media was leveraged, with influencers helping to promote the various activities by posting cute pictures of their pets. The initiative effectively broadened the typical school holiday audience and delivered the centre high-profile news coverage, valuable PR as well as casual mall leasing income.
With a slightly different slant, Rouse Hill Town Centre and the Positive Vibes foundation came together to celebrate dogs as a means of therapy and companionship. Creating an activity packed day, the core focus was on raising awareness and funding for Positive Vibes Foundation as well as bringing people and dogs together to embrace a holistic approach to address mental illness and well-being at home, work and school. Close to 1,000 people (plus pooches) attended the event and left with a greater understanding of the health benefits of pets.
Rouse Hill Doggy Day
Even a company like Tesla sees the value in focusing on your four-legged friend, with ‘Dog Mode’ now available in its vehicles to keep pets cool and comfortable inside parked cars. When a driver leaves the vehicle and activates ‘dog mode’, the air conditioner is kept running, and a display will show the current cabin temperature of the car, along with a message letting passers-by know that the pets are safe.
So, whether you are a dog lover, a cat person or lean towards something smaller, bigger, with scales or with no legs, the importance of pets giving owners a sense of wellbeing and having a greater presence on social media is showing no signs of slowing down. There is no debating this is an industry on the rise, and with it comes a plethora of opportunities to celebrate our companions with products, events and activities.
*Source: Animal Medicines Australia Pet Ownership in Australia 2016 report
