Goods for animals are one of the few categories that are not just successfully experiencing a crisis and the fall in the purchasing power of the population, but also dynamically develop, actively mastering new promotion channels. On the trends in the development of the category, participants of the video conferencing "Zoostovari in Retail were told. How to develop an assortment? "Retail.ru" Dialogues about Retail's special project.
Photo: Javier Brosch / Shutterstock
General segment characteristics: prices, range, sales channels
Since the second quarter of 2020, there has been a significant drop in real incomes of the population, which imposed on a sharp jump in the dollar. This negatively affected sales throughout the FMCG sector. The buyer began to change. Describing changes in buying preferences, Evgeny Konev, Business Partner Nielseniq for Retail Vertical Clients, Acting Head of the North-West Region, Center, Volga, South, noted that before the Pandemic Mission of Large Procurement lost popularity, buyers were looking for promissions, but their Also interested in the atmosphere in the store, and they were ready to pay extra money for quality. The online sector Ros, but his penetration was low because of, mainly, the doubts of buyers as products sold online.
Pandemic, the change in the usual style of life has significantly affected the purchasing preferences: the purchase of the future has become a massive phenomenon, an interest in private brands and promotions increased, and the immersion in the Digital environment, which occurred during the quarantine period, gave a significant additional impetus to the development of online trading. These trends affected the market for animal products, where the online channel has grown significantly. The main leap occurred in March last year, when severe restrictive measures were introduced in many regions, then the growth slowed down, but still an average of an online channel growth amounted to about 70% per year. In fact, it was the only channel with a double-digit growth rate of sales. The general increase in the audited Nielseniq categories of animal products from 2019 to 2020 amounted to 3.8%. In this case, there are significant changes inside the channels. For example, the share of sales of fillers decreased by 1.3% in a modern retail, 5.6% in zoospetsalitates, but increased by 97.4% in online channels. All - and treats for animals (39%), and food for dogs and cats (53.2 and 88.1%, respectively), and animal goods (73.7%) increased in online channels.
According to Evgeny Konev, buyers go online to find a lower price and buy at a maximum without leaving home, save time and simplify the delivery of large and heavy packages that are inconvenient to transport themselves. The choice of an offline channel primarily affects the location of the store - buyers seek to make a purchase as close as possible to the house - as well as the opportunity to purchase goods both for both the goods and for their pets. An essential factor for buying in theline is also the purchase of experience when it is possible to learn the goods in the store and get a professional advice.
Goods for animals are more likely in the online basket than in Offline: from May to September 2020, the share of orders with such goods has almost changed - 39% and 38%. You can talk about the formation of a sustainable model of behavior in online. While offline share of purchases with animal goods decreased in the same period from 32% to 26%.
At the same time, the online channel is characterized by a rarely purchase frequency, and the average cost of buying online is almost twice as high than in theline. It is also characteristic that the price per kilogram of feed for cats and dogs (both wet and dry) is the highest in the channel of zoospeciality. First of all, due to the presence of a professional and premium assortment there.
From the point of view of price segmentation, if you attribute to the low price segment, those feeds that have a price index below 80% relative to the average price in the category, and the high segment of those that are 120% higher, then the average and especially high price segments are dominated in zoospetytes. And in the online channel. The range that the buyer sees and buys in various channels, differs. For example, the sale of dry feeds in bulk and heavy packaging is very large. The outflow of customers from modern retail and zoospetives takes place primarily in segments of more expensive feed and larger packages, and this respectively leads to an average check in online channels.
"Beethoven" focuses on creating a medium
Strengthening the role of the online channel leads to the fact that traditional zoospetsalitts turn into one-digit retailers, actively develop their own online direction, work with marketers.As Georgy Chkareuli, General Director of the Beethoven Network, 2020 has become for the network of new challenges and innovative solutions. The company has prepared a fully updated concept of offline stores, actively developed online sales, updated the mobile application, connected marketers and express delivery services.
On an online channel's value, at least the fact that his share in the amount of network sales increased three times - from 7% in mid-2019 to 21% by the end of last year. Another important area is the development of additional services. So, in "Beethoven" a concept was developed and the discovery of a full-featured veterinary clinic, as well as a veterinary cabinet, was developed.
In general, the network is transformed into Solution Provider (provider of solutions) - creating a qualitative and comfortable environment for the responsible owners of pets. At the same time, the importance of traditional specialized offline stores with professional consultants is preserved. Live communication with professionals and experts is always a competitive advantage of offline network, as many visitors come to the store just for communication.
"SberMarket": "Food online buyers want to get an order in 30 minutes"
Marketplates and services delivery of goods from stores are important channels of promotion of petrootters. Oksana Maurina, head of the direction of Nonfood in SberMarket, said that in June 2020, the company felt a high need for customers to order not only food, but also non-food categories, including pet food products. Now the company has been implemented by two projects with a specialized retail - the "Beethoven" network (from September 2020 for delivery in the format "in 30 minutes") and pet stores "Four paws" (from December 2020 in the delivery format in a two-hour slot).
After launching projects in the behavior of buyers, an interesting feature was discovered. It seemed that pet food was a certain planned purchase, since the owners of animals know exactly what time they have enough food packaging.
But it turned out that the user really appreciates the speed and prefers to receive a product in 30 minutes than in a two-hour slot, although in both cases it is about delivery during the day. Getting the opportunity to order quickly, a person begins to trust this way of delivery and stops planning. That is why the pet store "Four paws" will also be translated into the delivery format "in 30 minutes". In general, the portrait of the online buyer of the petrootors in the SberMart - 73% of middle-aged women (18-39 years) with income above average.
"Ribbon": "Buyers more indulgest pets"
In hypermarkets, interesting changes occur when working with the category of petrootes. Thus, Anastasia Antonyuk, director of management categories of the TS "Tape", said that in the conditions of a difficult economic situation, people do not switch to lower price segments of petrootions and even, on the contrary, they began to pour their animals more than their pets. At the end of 2020, Ribbon notes the most significant increase in sales of high price segment (+ 17%), large packages (+ 12%), animal delicacies (+ 15%). As they believed in the company, sales growth contributed to including the revision of the principles of calculation and the combination of dry and wet feed.
In 2020, the network began to pay more attention to social activities, launched animal shelter programs, which caused a positive response from buyers, actively worked in the Digital-Environment, with social networks, developed a social loyalty program that combines a standard check campaign with a social project, which comes In line with a trend responsible attitude towards pets. An important event was the launch of his own Hunty brand in the category of dog feed. And of course, the development of the project on the creation of specialized zoomarkets "Tape" began the development of the project.
Royal Canin: "Animal owners become more responsible"
In the conditions of the changes occurring in the market, new work formats are also searched for manufacturers. Ivan Kondrashev, director of sales of Royal Canin in Russia and Belarus, noted that on the background of a pandemic about half of all pet owners, seek to make their way of life more healthy and project this installation including pets.
Approximately nine of the ten owners consider animal member of the family, more than two thirds of pet owners in the cities of million painters regularly vaccinate them, 65% are engaged in the upbringing and training of pets. At the same time, the owners of animals need an expert opinion, and the zoospeciality here has very great advantages.
In such stores, a person spends more time than the appropriate shelves in super- and hypermarkets. Through a dialogue with consultants, a colossal number of knowledge is formed, which can then be converted to the purchase.
Innovative solutions related to the responsible possession of animals suggest the development of products corresponding to each stage of the life of the animal and, as a result, this life extended. In addition, an important trend is the development of products intended for specific breeds, which requires very serious studies. For example, to create a specialized feed for the Persian cat had to study the enormous number of video materials to understand why she swallows so much air during meals, and release the carton of an ideal almond-shaped form, which allowed the animal to use the product correctly.
The market is actively formed by the standards of responsible possession of animals. Therefore, an important task, which is also facing feed producers, is to raise the buyer's awareness. And for this, according to Ivan Kondrashev, it is necessary to conduct extensive educational work - to conduct health days in partner stores, veterinary consultations of specialists, both in stores and online, initiate socially significant programs (for example, a social project "We take a walk with a dog" for those who could not do this himself because of quarantine).
In general, all participants in the conference agreed that the zoostovarovar market was very dynamic, has a high development potential, a colossal expanser for innovation and opportunities for the formation of a new consumer ownership model, when a social and business component can give a unique synergistic effect.
Look a video of the online conference "Zootovars" in the retail. How to develop an assortment? "
Retail.ru.