Exploring new horizons

The pet product sector manages to reinvent itself time and again and inspire the loyalty of pet owners with new concepts and product ideas. Examples of innovative approaches in the last few years include a bigger offering of natural and grain-free pet food products, the barfing trend and new products for outdoors. These enable dog owners in particular to spend even more quality time with their pets. 

The rapid development of technical means of communication is bringing about major changes in the pet product sector. Online retailing has become an important distribution channel in the sector and is likely to grow even further in the future. Social media such as Facebook and Instagram have also gained in significance as a way of communicating with pet owners. Technical advances are perceptible in the products too: more and more electronic aids such as high-tech cat feeders, automatic ball throwers for dogs and tracking systems are coming onto the market, expanding the pet product spectrum.
Many of the topics mentioned will be addressed at the International Pet Conference in Barcelona. Some aspects will be looked at in depth, such as how cross-channel concepts can be implemented sensibly in the pet supplies trade, or how to achieve successful, effective customer relationship management. 
Answers to these questions will be offered by Torsten Toel­ler, founder and proprietor of Europe's leading pet store chain Fressnapf, at the conference in Barcelona. Last year his company returned its best results ever. In its Challenge 2020 Fressnapf has also developed an ambitious concept for transforming the leading stationary pet product retailer in Europe into a leading cross-channel supplier.

Best-practice reports from various countries will also be presented at the conference in Barcelona. Polina Kosharna, director and co-owner of the Ukrainian Suzirja Company Group, the foremost pet product wholesale and retail company in the country, will deliver a progress report on the situation in the Ukrainian pet sector and show how success is possible even in a difficult political climate.
The Romanian wholesale and retail outfit Animax/Pet Product has also made major advances. Managing director Cristi Pop has agreed to be…