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Pet food is going premium—and sustainable | Pets and Trends Newsletter

PLUS: How much should you be spending on PMAX

Author

Zihan Lyu
April 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 30 minutes

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Welcome to Pets and Trends, your essential newsletter for pet product marketers and eCommerce professionals.

Editor’s Pick 🌟

Curious to know the optimal way to allocate your Google Ads budget? Fospha’s latest analysis of top performers reveals key insights into balancing Performance Max (PMAX) and Paid Search:

🥇 How Top-Performers Do It: For the highest-performing 25% of brands, a strategic allocation of around 55% of total Google budget to Performance Max and 12% to Paid Search appears to be the sweet spot for driving results.

🏢 Size Matters: Note, this optimal allocation does vary slightly between different brand sizes. Top-performing small brands were found to have a 52% PMAX / 15% Paid Search split, while top-performing large brands allocated more to PMAX, with a 59% PMAX / 9% Paid Search split.

Why? With extensive product catalogs and diverse customer segments, large brands can leverage PMAX's AI-driven optimization, while smaller brands benefit from the precision targeting of Paid Search to capture high-intent traffic while still leveraging PMAX for efficiency

Unlock the full potential of your Google Ads budget! Fospha’s new Performance Max and Paid Search Playbook is your guide to cultivating cross-channel synergies, reducing wasted ad spend, and maximizing blended performance.

Sector Spotlight 🎥

PREMIUM NUTRITION DEMAND

The 2025 pet food report, led by IFEEDER, highlights a $51.7 billion industry with surging demand for premium ingredients, particularly marine-based ones, while also showcasing significant trends in upcycled ingredients. These insights offer strategic value for marketers seeking to navigate the evolving pet food landscape and drive economic value, notably with substantial contributions across 43 U.S. states.

BUSINESS EXPANSION

Bundle x Joy, the first Latina-founded pet brand, has expanded into over 500 Walmart stores, enhancing accessibility to its gut-friendly dog food. The brand targets Millennial and Gen Z pet owners with vibrant packaging and contributes 3% of sales to support women in entrepreneurship. This move underscores the importance of meeting diverse consumer needs and harnessing retail giants for broad market penetration.

PET FOOD RECALL

A recall has been issued by Savage Pet of certain chicken boxes due to potential H5N1 (bird flu) contamination, affecting products in five U.S. states. This poses a health risk to cats and potentially humans, necessitating vigilance among pet owners. Monitoring for symptoms and consultation with veterinarians is crucial.

INNOVATIVE PACKAGING LAUNCH

Spectrum Brands' FURminator brand launched new spill-resistant shampoo packaging developed with AeroFlexx, integrating a self-sealing design that reduces plastic use by 66%. This transformation is relevant for marketers aiming to understand sustainability trends and packaging innovation's impact on consumer engagement.

The initiative aligns with growing consumer preferences for eco-friendly products, providing a strategic advantage in the competitive pet care market.

BUSINESS EXPANSION

Hollywood Feed is expanding with a new 3,720-square-foot location in Mobile, Alabama, set to open in 2025. This addition includes services such as self-serve dog washes and Same Day Delivery, catering to rising demand in southern Alabama. With over 170 stores in 19 states, their focus on American-made pet products enhances their brand's market relevance.

Influencer Corner 📢'

We chatted with Amy J. Oelkers, TikTok’s GM, US Head of Commerce, about how the power of discovery on TikTok is driving commerce everywhere | TikTok for Business

📌 4 in 5 users are discovering brands through creators' recommendations.

📌 After discovering something on TikTok (via a creator), 45% of users continued searching for more information on the platform.

📌 1 in 4 users search within the first 30 seconds of opening the app (internal user data).

In our Shoptalk 2025 wrap up with ClickZ.com, one thing was clear | Lee Arthur

This industry is operating in a new reality. From full-funnel AI to omnichannel orchestration, the conversations weren’t speculative,they were tactical.

Here are the biggest shifts we heard on the ground:

🔹 AI is everywhere
“AI isn’t a concept -it’s a capability,” summed up by voices across the floor. From text-to-buy to media measurement, brands are moving from testing to scaling.

🔹 Omnichannel is baseline
“Omnichannel isn’t a trend - it’s the new baseline,” said Sam Carter, CEO at Fospha. The new standard is unified journeys online and off.

Optimization Hub ⚙️

BUSINESS MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK

Breaking organizational silos is essential for building effective measurement frameworks, ensuring data-driven insights drive marketing success. By involving all stakeholders and focusing on real-world applications, businesses can align metrics with strategic objectives. Tailored frameworks improve communication and performance across departments, essential for today's competitive landscape.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Instagram's new monthly recap feature provides creators with valuable insights into their content performance, including total views, follower engagement, and specific audience activity times. This feature aids marketers by offering actionable tips to enhance content strategy based on the unique behaviors of their audiences, fostering a more tailored approach to growth and engagement.

ECOMMERCE OPTIMIZATION

Adjusting the Google Ads bid strategy, specifically the Target ROAS, can enhance Shopping Ads revenue without reducing profitability for eCommerce businesses. Use Impression Share and Search Lost IS metrics to identify and rectify revenue loss. Gradual budget and ROAS adjustments ensure consistent performance improvement.

📲 Like what you’re seeing?

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