As we head into the peak of holiday shopping season we’re taking a closer look at gifting trends for our four legged friends. The pandemic saw a huge rise in pet ownership and our pets are increasingly becoming more than just companions; pets are part of the family.
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78% of pet owners acquired their pets during the pandemic
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90%+ of pet owners consider pets part of the family
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The majority of US pet owners are Millennials (35%) or Gen X (32%)
The latest pet gifting trends reveal just how popular pet gifting is, particularly among Millenials and Gen X shoppers. 62% of U.S. shoppers age 30-44 say they buy gifts for birthdays or holidays for their pets.
Source: Statista, May 2022, U.S.
What pet products are trending this Christmas 2022?
We had a look at Amazon.com Vendor Central data during the last week (Dec 4-10, 2022) to find out what shoppers are searching for when it comes to dogs and cats, as measured by Amazon’s Search Frequency Rank*. Dog products are broadly more popular than cat products, with toys being the most searched for item for both pets.
Top 5 Dog and Cat Search Terms on Amazon.com*Search frequency rank is the numeric rank of a specific search term's popularity when compared to all other search terms during a given period.
And when it comes to Christmas, for both dogs and cats, the search for “christmas sweater” is the most popular Christmas-specific search term, just ahead of “gifts”. So shoppers are not just buying their pets gifts, they’re also dressing them up for the festive season - a further indicator of the humanisation of pets.
Top 5 Christmas-specific Dog and Cat Search Terms on Amazon.com
Winning strategies for the pet category this Christmas 2022
If you want to know how to win the pet shelf this Christmas, then look no further than this great Best Seller example from the brand “NACOCO”. On the day of writing, a search for “dog christmas sweater” saw this product rank in the first spot as a sponsored product with the Best Seller Badge. So how is this product ranking so highly and how is it converting enough shoppers to get the badge?
Search ranking tactics
Right off the bat we see the brand is paying to play, investing in paid placements to get the sale and gain that coveted Best Seller badge.
The brand is also using keyword rich content in both the title and product description, using a range of keywords and keyword variation. For example:
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“Dog snow sweater”
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“Xmas dog holiday sweaters”
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“Christmas sweater pet”
It’s even including cat keywords in an attempt to tap into both types of pet owners. But to be the Best Seller, it has to sell the most products in its category.
So how is it achieving that?
Best Selling tactics
The PDP for this product ticks all the boxes for converting the shopper:
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Emotive images (6 in total) and a video
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Over 3,000 positive reviews
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Amazon’s Choice Badge
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Product variants
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Humanistic rich content with images of actual pets in their fashionable holiday garments
Even the Product Description plays to shopper sentimentality about their pets:
“Love Pets, Love Life!
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NACOCO always keep the pets fashion is a kind of catalyst to make life more colorful.
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NACOCO Dog Snowman Sweater is ideal for winter and autumn to keep your pets warm and comfortable. Your pets will love this fashionable snowman design. What’s more, this sweater is a good choice for Christmas,parties and daily wear.”
More e-commerce strategies for pet brands
Learn more winning strategies for winning the pet category:
- Love Me, Love My Dog
- How to Harness the Voice of the Customer to Win Hearts and Build Loyalty