69_71.qxp_New Grid 26/10/2018 15:41 Page 69
Spotlight On... Pet Gifts
Well Doggone! With animals very much a part of the family, they are every bit as important as humans when it comes to gift giving as a recent report from Mintel confirms. With Christmas on its way, and gifts for dogs seemingly trending in the run up to the festive season, PG&H looked at some gifts for pets, as well as pet themed gift ideas that will have dogs - and cats showing their delight. Gifts for pets really come into their own at Christmas, with ‘gifts for the dog’ or ‘gifts for the cat’ arguably topping the list for animal owners. “Pet gifts are definitely being seen more and more in independent gift shops in recent years, with Christmas gifting in this sector increasing,” states Really Good’s key account manager Fiona Burge. “Nowadays, giftware for pets includes Christmas stockings and advent calendars - not something that we would have expected in stores a decade ago!” She says that humour is always a great option. “It’s the pets that bring humour into our homes, a great distraction from day to day challenges. Nevertheless, the product needs to be relatable,” adds Fiona. “Adding a breed of pet onto a product can be too specific reducing sales, so the more generic the imagery or design, the further the product will go.” At Wild & Wolf, the company has several new pet-themed products in its Orla Kiely range this Autumn/Winter which are all about the Dachshund. “We’ve extended our Dachshund-inspired product offerings from last season as we’ve seen such an ongoing demand for them,” confirms
senior marketing executive Joelle Engolia. “Playful, quirky but understated, Orla’s Dogshow print as it’s also known, is extremely popular and is one of her most iconic prints. Dachshunds are still very much the ‘pup of the moment’ and we have several skus in our Orla Kiely kitchenware range featuring the new print, which also serves as inspiration for a new product in our office collection too.” Giftware includes tea towels, storage tins and double oven gloves, along with Dachshund page markers from the company’s Sketchbook & Sticky Notes. Top: Blanche, owned by dog lover Adrian Smith at Rex London, shows off her trendy socks, a gift from Adrian. Above left: A Bright Side dog bowl from Really Good. Right Widdop and Co’s Best of Breed photo frame. Below: Storage tins from Wild & Wolf’s Orla Kiley Dachsund print collection.
Animal Crackers l Some 59% of British consumers own
a pet, with full-time workers the most likely to own one (66%). l Proving dogs really are man’s best friend, ownership peaks among men, with 35% of men
owning a mutt compared to 31% of women and younger Millennials aged 19-28 (42%). l Cat ownership peaks among Brits aged 25-44. And while the age-old argument over
whether cats or dogs are better is guaranteed to send owners into a frenzy, it seems that dogs currently have the edge. l A third (33%) of Brits own a dog versus three in ten (29%) who own a cat. (Source: Mintel)
“Pets bring their owners so much happiness and are a constant source of laughs,” adds Joelle. “Plus, for animal lovers, it’s lovely to have little reminders of their pets scattered throughout their daily lives.” Staying with dogs, Widdop and Co has introduced a unique range of novelty dog clocks, each with its own wagging tail. “Six major breeds of dog are included in the collection which sits in Best of Breed, a brand which incorporates fashionable and well made gifts for animal lovers of all kinds,” comments marketing manager Sue Grant. “The clock’s pendulum movement is what keeps the tail wagging as the clocks ticks.” She says that gentle humour is an important element of pet gifting with relevance important too. “The gift has got to speak to both the giver and the receiver,” Sue points out. “This could be in terms of the right breed, the right words or hitting the right note when it comes to humour. Thanking a neighbour or friend for looking after a special pet is also a great add-on gift within the pet gifting sector,” she comments. Highlighting the importance of humour is Thomas O’Brien, operations director at Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide
69