The two faces of Interzoo

Often imitated, never matched: Interzoo remains the benchmark among international pet supplies shows. Nowhere in the world is it possible to network in the pet sector on such an international scale as in Nuremberg. I heard this from countless companies during the four days of the fair – companies that had come to Nuremberg from a host of different countries and were full of praise for Interzoo. The euphoria of many exhibitors was limited to the first two days, however. There was plenty of activity in the Interzoo halls on the Thursday and Friday, and the staff on the stands were busy almost continuously. But that all changed on the Sunday, when visitor numbers dropped off ab-ruptly and some stands were eerily quiet. The many spectacular innovations proclaimed repeatedly by pet product retailers and suppliers were actually few and far between on the four days of the show. Most of the new products were a reaction to existing trends: LEDs in aquariums, more natural materials for small animal houses and dog toys, grain-free dog food and luxury accessories at affordable prices etc. Quite a few companies relegated the presentation of new products to the background, concentrating instead on proposals and ideas for a closer dialogue with consumers. Mars Petcare in particular adopted an entirely new approach on its stand, which might set a precedent in future years: new topics of interest in the sector instead of even more products. Let’s be honest. Do we really need the 1865th premium dog food brand? The 687th external filter? Or the 186th nano tank? No! What we do need is more knowledge about the real needs of the customers. Take dog food as an example. Although the number of dog food brands is increasing year on year, more and more dog owners complain that their pet is too fat or suffers from allergies. Look at the aquatics market. The number of products continues to grow in this product group too, yet many people think aquariums are too time-consuming and too complicated technically. Both these examples show that the pet sector should think harder in future about communicating with the end customers rather than bringing even more pseudo-innovations onto the market. Download: The two faces of Interzoo (PDF file)