Businesses sniff out opportunity removing pet odors from the home.
By Rieva Lesonsky
Americans love pets. (Yes, we’ve mentioned that before.) About 58% of all U.S. households own at least one pet, according to Mintel (less than in the UK, where 63% of households own a pet—which surprised me).
We’ve also previously talked about how Americans have “humanized” their pets, practically treating them as their children. As a result, Mintel says, “demand for products that deal with pet hair, dander, and [odor] is creating opportunities for aircare or air purifiers that address these specific issues.”
Businesses are trying to tackle the smelly pet issue, says Mintel, by “offering products to address specific challenges of pet ownership like keeping the home looking and smelling clean.” Some 46% of adults ages 35 to 44 (the demographic most likely to be pet owners) are motivated by “pet odor” to use aircare products, according to Mintel.
One of the factors that concern consumers is the chemical composition of the products used to clear the air. Typical air fresheners are often loaded with chemicals pet owners might fear are too dangerous to expose their pets to.
Among the new opportunities Mintel identifies are remarketing air purifiers, which can actually neutralize pet odors and not just cover them up. Mintel’s research also reveals 43% of dog owners and 46% of cat owners say “keeping their homes clean” is an issue. Air purifiers that help get rid of unwanted pet hair will be in high demand.
Americans’ relationship with their pets isn’t likely to fade anytime soon (in fact, it should increase as the leading edge of Gen Y starts to enter the age of pet ownership). That means the opportunity to “clean up” in this industry is just starting.
Cat stock photo by By Mikhail Romanov/Shutterstock
