The long-standing tradition of giving gifts to the people you love on Valentine’s Day is nothing new, but for many, that doesn’t stop at just significant others. According to the National Retail Federation, many shoppers are looking to spend an average of $52.65 to show appreciation for the other meaningful relationship in their lives (a $17 increase from last year). Furthermore, the number of people who plan on buying gifts for their pets has grown from 17% to 27% from 2010 to 2020.
To make sure your Pet Care brand is in the right place at the right time for Valentine’s Day Shoppers, we took a closer look at how shoppers are buying for their furry friends right now.
TikTok x Amazon: The “Purrfect” Channel x Retailer Mix
Social commerce has been a hot topic lately for brands of all categories across the entire world. With millions of pet lovers on the internet, social media is a great place to put Pet Care products in front of shoppers. According to data from the MikMak Platform, in the last 90 days, TikTok has emerged as the leading social media platform for Pet Care shoppers, with a Purchase Intent Rate of 3.6 percent (1.4x the current category average). This means that across all social channels, shoppers receiving Pet Care product ads on TikTok are most likely to buy.
Following TikTok is Facebook, with a Purchase Intent Rate of 3.5 percent, and Instagram, with 2.9 percent. Considering these two channels have the most in-market pet-owning shoppers, the fact that they also yield higher-than-average Purchase Intent Rates could amount to great success with shoppers this Valentine’s Day.
Retailers such as Amazon, Chewy, and Walmart have been the top choices for pet lovers looking to buy gifts for their furry friends, and Amazon leads the pack with a 29.5% share of Purchase Intent Clicks. This means, compared to the other Top 5 retailers for Pet Care products, Amazon has seen the most in-market traffic within the last 90 days.
Following Amazon is online specialty retailer Chewy with 26.3 percent, and Walmart with 18.8 percent. Beyond those retailers are well-known specialty pet stores, Petco and PetSmart, yielding 13.5 and 11.8 percent of Purchase Intent Clicks, respectively.
Interestingly, in other similar product categories with specialty retailers (such as Beauty and Toys), we have still seen larger retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target) drive more Purchase Intent Clicks than specialty retailers. However, when it comes to Pet Care products, brands should place some major attention on these specialty retailers, as many shoppers have continued loyalty to their favorite pet stores.
San Antonio has the highest purchase intent rates for Pet Care products leading up to Valentine’s Day
When it comes to how to reach your shoppers, it's important to know where they are. According to data from the MikMak Platform, the city of San Antonio has emerged as the leader in Pet Care purchases with a Purchase Intent Rate of 3.3 percent (1.3 x the current category average. Further data shows that Miami (3.1 percent), Philadelphia (2.9 percent), Charlotte (2.9 percent), and Brooklyn (2.8 percent), all also have higher-than-average Purchase Intent Rates for Pet Care products right now.
Enabling shoppable media allows consumers to get their “paws” on your product
With Valentine’s Day coming up quickly, it's essential customers can access the Pet Care products they need from the retailers they prefer in time for the occasion. Partnering with a shoppable media platform like MikMak, retailers can create a seamless shopping experience for customers by enabling them to shop directly from your Valentine's Day creative.
One example of a company that has put this methodology into action is Nutrish. Featuring their own Valentine's Day-specific variety pack, they made their creative shoppable with MikMak. With this capability, Shoppers can buy this special V-Day gift at their preferred retailer, making for a convenient and hassle-free shopping experience, leaving consumers happy and ready to buy again.
In turn, the brand can now quickly see powerful trends and data to enhance their eCommerce strategy, and use Valentine’s Day shopping habits as an indicator for other future shopping occasions. To learn more about how you can make the most of these trends and make your Valentine's Day pet gift shopping experience easier, schedule a demo with MikMak today.
