With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, consumers are picking up gifts and making plans to celebrate family, friends and, increasingly, their pets. In fact, people are more likely to purchase a Valentine’s Day gift for their pets than a friend or coworker, and total spending in the category is expected to reach a record $2.1 billion this year.
This year, more than one-third of people celebrating Valentine’s Day plan to purchase gifts for their pampered pets, up from 19% a decade ago, and average spending has more than tripled. Pet parents have plenty of options to “chews” from, whether it’s a box of (toy) chocolates for pups or candy heart plushies for their feline friend. For those with specialty pets, Etsy has options ranging from a “Somebunny loves you” activity box for smaller pets to a “cupid cup” bird toy. Consumers looking to give their fluffy family members an occasion-appropriate makeover can use pink “Pawdicure” dog nail polish pen or Critter Color temporary pet fur coloring.
It’s not just Valentine’s Day — pets are becoming more included in other celebrations as well. “One of the biggest emerging trends and opportunities for brands in pet is specialty holidays,” says Dewar Gaines, CEO of Gaines Family Farmstead in Irondale, Ala. “Birthdays, adoption anniversary, Valentine’s Day, National Dog Day and the list goes on!”
To learn more about how consumers are celebrating their loved ones this Feb. 14, check out NRF’s Valentine’s Day headquarters.
