Three Ways to Win Pet Owners Over through Color
According to GfK globally, the majority of consumers own pets as demonstrated in an online survey across 22 countries with dogs being owned by 33% of respondents followed by cats that are living at 23% of respondents’ households. Cats and dogs leading the way in pet ownership, an interesting shift in the pet food industry is owners’ eagerness to buy pet products that reflect their own eating habits, wellness decisions and overall lifestyle. The Pet Food Industry Association of Southern Africa PFISA is a non-profit association that is formed by pet food manufacturers striving to ensure the nutritional wellbeing of pets that have set a mission to assure industry quality and food safety standards being aligned to international levels. Taking a closer look at pet food trends in the USA, it comes to no surprise that today’s consumers are wary of artificial ingredients like synthetic colors even in their pet food. Natural positioning resonates better with most shoppers these days, and up to 74% admit they are more likely to purchase a brand that converts to color from botanical sources according to Sensient’s 2018 H&W Survey conducted in the USA. Consumers are additionally taking the time to scan ingredient lists on products for their furry family members. While natural ingredients can help win consumers over, what’s even more compelling for pet food developers are the results of Sensient’s recent consumer research concluding the correlation of color to perceived positive health benefits in pet food.THREE COLOR INSIGHTS FROM OUR PET FOOD RESEARCH
1. Consumers associated superior nutritional quality with color variety.
2. Brands looking to communicate different functionality claims should not underestimate the power of color on consumer perception.
Multi-colored dry pet food outscored brown kibble three to one in all of the wellness attributes tested.
3. Dry pet food containing multi-colored bits and pieces was perceived as the most appealing. This consumer perception is most likely due to the healthy connection to pet superfood ingredients that are bold, bright colors.
Yet observing the enjoyment when a cat or dog is having its favorite meal and being able to excite the furry family members with variety in their diet remains highly important to them as well.
We have an extensive portfolio of heat-stable colors perfect for extrusion processing. Due to many shades of brown, red, yellow, or green the possibilities to re-imagine kibbles and snacks or treats in a new way is manifold. If interested, you can always let us know here, and our color experts are happy to get in touch.
The opportunity for color in pet food is clear and positively perceived by consumers. Color from botanical sources can naturally align with clean label and simple ingredient positioning. We have an extensive portfolio of heat-stable colors perfect for extrusion processing and can support to re-imagine kibbles and treats in a completely new way, especially in a growing market space.
We have an extensive portfolio of heat-stable colors perfect for extrusion processing. If interested, you can always let us know here, and our color experts can assist you.
