Pet Supply Trade Shows Remarketing Their Presence
Over the past several years the number of pet supply retailers as dwindled as sales of pet supplies have shifted from the small, independent retailers to mass merchandisers and pet super stores. Add to that the consolidation in the pet supply industry reducing the number of vendors participating in pet supply trade shows and there appears to be a trend of the shows becoming smaller year after year. Additionally, many of the pet supply trade shows were named after the region in which they were held, often giving the impression that they were geared only towards that region.
To help rebuild interest in pet supply trade shows national pet supply trade groups have been trying to re-educated the retailers as well as the pet supply customers on the many benefits these shows have for the consumer. With major retailers capturing nearly a third of all pet supply sales in the United States, shaping the pet supply industry, many of the smaller retailer feel as though they have lost their voice in supplier decisions.
Many of the pet supply manufacturers, some operated by veterinarians, have seen a dramatic loss in business as well as influence on the pet supply industry. Their products have not been well represented at pet supply trade shows and shunned by many of the mass merchandisers as being too expensive or too complicated for the average consumer to understand or afford.
Pets Lose In Shift Of Influence
During most pet supply trade shows manufacturers show off their new products and retailers' representatives peruse the available options. Retailers can also talk to industry officials about what their customers are demanding, and most relay complaints about pricing, looking for the best product they can buy for the least amount of money.
What sometimes gets lost in the negotiations at pet supply trade shows is the well-being of the pets as higher quality foods are usually left off the store shelves as retailers seek out those that offer a bigger profit return. Manufacturers, in order to meet the retailer demand, will often reformulate their products and present them at pet supply trade shows to show they are striving to meet the lower costs demands.
The smaller manufacturers, who got into the pet supply business because of their love for animals, are often left out of the process as they cannot continue to produce the type of quality product at a lower price. When their sales begin to fall they cannot attend all of the pet supply trade shows to show how their products can meet the demands of pet owners that look at more than the price tag on the store shelf.
