Two demographic groups, moms and millennials, may make up the majority of subscribers to pet food delivery services, such as Bark Chef and Just Right by Purina. Pet food professionals believe convenience, customizability and health concerns may be primary motives for parents and young adults to use dog and cat food delivery subscriptions.
Parents and pet food delivery
“Half of our team expected BarkChef customers to be younger and urban, and the other half (myself included) expected the baby boomer demographic to really embrace this,” Bark Chef founder Matt Goldman told Petfood Industry.
However, despite millennial pet owners reputation as digital natives demanding personalized, home-delivered products, they haven’t been BarkChef’s main customers.
“We found purchasing trends are pretty similar to that of most pet products,” said Goldman. “Mothers and heads of households make up around 70 percent of our customers, and I think a main reason is because we offer a new approach to dog food. The idea of never running out of food again and never having to schlep a 40-pound bag of food from the supermarket to car to house is a new concept. If you have been doing that for 20 years, I can see how refreshing it is to not have to deal with it anymore. Additionally, if you have children, we take feeding the dog off the to-do list which frees up time for the family.”
Millennials and pet food delivery
For younger pet owners, pet food home delivery may become the norm.
"Pet savvy future generations will look for home delivery," said Maria Lange, business group director of GfK, during her presentation at Petfood Forum 2017.
Market researchers believe that younger people show less brand loyalty than baby boomers or even Generation X. However, the results of a GfK survey, presented by Lange, pointed out a way to attract younger generations’ loyalty.
Young people responded that they would be more devoted to a brand or retailer that allowed them to give input or help shape a product. Fifty-eight percent of consumers born from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, called Generation Z, said they would be more loyal to a customizable product, compared to 32 percent of baby boomers.
“Millennials’ enthusiasm for authenticity and transparency surrounding food has influenced how their pets eat,” Julia Pitlyk, Nestle Purina PetCare assistant brand manager told Petfood Industry. “With this enthusiasm for authenticity and transparency surrounding food, our consumers are more likely to research foods when choosing their pet’s diet, and they like to have options that include natural ingredients. One way Just Right by Purina provides this transparency to pet owners is by empowering them with information on dog nutrition, such as having photographs and detailed descriptions of every ingredient on our website.”
