As pets become increasingly woven into our daily warm weather routines and activities, their needs are evolving. From road trips to keeping them cool to enhanced play, pet parents are demanding more and brands that fill that need with nimble marketing activations, purpose-driven products and emotion-driven messaging/education have the opportunity to build both loyalty and bigger baskets.
While summer evening strolls after sundown persist, today’s pet parents are planning weekend adventures, lakeside lounging and road trips with their pets in tow and in mind. They’re seeking brands that make those moments safter, more comfortable and more joyful for everyone involved. Here ae a few ways for brands to ‘take the heat’ and turn it into cool sales – not just for the summer, but year-round.
Summer-Smart Strategies that Build Trust – and Sales
- Own the Conversation Around Summertime Safety
Keeping pets cool in summer is a top priority with pet parents. Consequently, demand for items like cooling vests and mats, collapsible water bowls, and booties for combating hot pavements are gaining momentum – with the same holding true for water vests for poolside and lake getaways. While high product quality and functionality are essential for this gear, good styling is also desired for making pets appear both special and much loved.
This presents opportunity for brands to build awareness and educate pet parents along the path to purchase using “safety-first” storytelling to elevate their value and differentiation. Nimble, cost-effective approaches such as targeted programmatic ads to drive traffic into priority retailers or DTC sites to purchase are just one way emerging pet brands can build awareness and promote trial. Brand-owned email databases are another asset to be leveraged with existing and new brand users – through which messaging, promotional campaigns, educational tips and special discounts can be delivered to build loyalty and help prepare pet owners for all the journeys that lie ahead – both in summer and year-round.
- In-store Ideas that Sell More Than Products
Moving in-store, brands can make their mark from the front door to the register.
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Adventure-Ready Bundles: Offering pre-built kits for road trips, beach days or hikes will help entrench the brand’s position as a true “pet adventure” partner by making shopping easier and more exciting, not to mention increasing spend. To help reduce costs and elevate ROI, consideration can also be given to partnering with another emerging summer adventure gear brand to create bigger displays, more value and maximized sales.
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QR Codes with Purpose: Adding QR links to product packaging and displays that connect too quick-read heat safety tips, hydration checklists or videos showing proper gear use other ways to add big value for establishing your brands as trustworthy and engaged with needs.
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Retail Team Engagement: Empowering retail staff with seasonal selling tools, heat-safety talking points and on-brand swag so they become ambassadors for your summer story.
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- Level up Travel Support
Pet-friendly travel is booming, with campsites, rentals, hotels and national parks all rolling out the welcome mat for four-legged guests. With this comes opportunity for dog-related brands of all types to partner with pet-friendly hotel chains to promote their supportive value for the traveling pet family by sharing digital links to these venues and offering product discounts and treats to journeying pet owners as a “surprise and delight” touchpoint strategy for building brand awareness and loyalty.
The Takeaway:
Summer is no longer seasonal, but a strategic selling opportunity for pet brands. As demand for functional and fashionable travel gear grows, brands that leverage digital messaging and education that accentuate summertime pet safety and style can set themselves apart from the competition as knowledgeable, trusted and caring. It just takes some heart-filled understanding of what’s important to pet owners and putting it into action for customer-brand bonds to take root, then span season to season.
