A new generation of pet owners
“Millennials have just overtaken the ageing Baby Boomers as the biggest pet-owning generation, with 35 percent of Millennials owning pets compared to 32 percent of baby boomers globally1,” knows Oscar Mendoza-Vega, who led the review and strategic assessment of Animal Health trends in 2020 for Boehringer Ingelheim. In terms of income and spending, they are trending up. Millennials also ferociously love their pets and expect to take an active role in pet care.
A hunger for information
“Millennials expect to interact with their veterinarian on a more equal footing, to have diseases and their effects on pet-wellbeing explained to them, to be involved in treatment decisions for their dog or cat. In previous generations, the need to understand why veterinarians prescribed certain treatments over others was less marked. It simply wasn’t as common to question the decisions of authority figures as it is today,” outlines Saskia Kley, Head of Franchise Pain and Emerging Categories. “Millennial pet owners truly want to be engaged and informed. This changes the veterinary profession: Communication skills become increasingly important.”
Pet care companies respond to the trend, too. Info-centric pet products, including premium and niche items, are on the rise. These offer a myriad of opportunities to communicate detailed product information via websites, email, chat groups, blogs, social media and online advertising. The relationship between pet owners and a brand now extends far beyond the act of purchase. Companies have to take the desire for knowledge and understanding into account, and are now heavily investing in customer loyalty.
However, it can be difficult to differentiate between unscientific advice and reliable information online. What can help?
Who is credible online?
“Pet owners respect information given to them by veterinarians and they expect their veterinary team to provide resources,” says Susan Little, world-renowned feline healthcare expert and part owner of two feline specialty practices. She also consults on our own Cat’Xpert initiative, which uses print and digital channels to raise awareness among cat owners about the importance of preventive care for cats. “Increasingly, it is important to provide electronic options, whether an app or a webpage.”
As a result, digital offers of veterinary practices are becoming more and more service-oriented and should often be the first go-to to seek general information, alongside veterinary associations. Social media outreach can make practices stand out as well as provide reliable information to pet owners: “Veterinary practices that embrace social media are now likely to hire an employee specifically for communication and social media,” reports Susan.
In the U.S., Boehringer Ingelheim further connects veterinarians and pet owners online through the digital platforms PetPro Connect and PetPro Tele+. These also enable veterinarians to offer live-video consultations: This is not only a boon for busy pet owners but also helps them to get reliable, professional advice quickly and conveniently from their trusted veterinarians!
Prescribing trust
There’s a particularly clever trend to help pet owners find resources online: Handing out information prescriptions. These are given out by veterinarians and provide tips that help pet owners make informed choices about where to seek information. They can make a tremendous difference to pet owners: In a study, over 86 percent of those who received an information prescription and subsequently accessed a website through it found the information given helpful2. Nearly 88 percent reported that they believed the tool helped them make better decisions for their pets2.
Informed decisions are better decisions
We can all support the new generation of pet owners in their quest to better understand their pet’s health management. Veterinarians can educate pet owners and guide them towards credible sources, marketers can promote disease awareness, and companies like Boehringer Ingelheim can help facilitate the interactions between veterinarians and pet owners in the digital space. Our pets will be happier and healthier as a result.
References
1Data on file
2Kogan et al 2014: Providing an information prescription in veterinary medical clinics: a pilot study