ike everyone else in the world, COVID had a significant effect on pet groomers. Those of us fortunate to have survived the pandemic—the world’s worst in over a century—now live in a world with a severely changed global economy. It was hard for many of our businesses to stay open, and a lot of groomers struggled financially during the shutdown. But, unlike some industries, those in the pet-related sector also experienced significant growth because of COVID.
Pet industry profits soared during some of the pandemic. Lots of people bought or adopted a pet for the first time because they were home more, or they added to those already living in their home. Shelters saw a huge uptick in adoptions. Breeders saw the opportunity and started cranking out more “designer dogs,” charging (opportunistically) enormous sums for mixed breed dogs.
The pet industry made headlines over those years for being one industry that actually grew and made much more money during COVID. Most groomers were trying to hire more help, and lots of us trained new staff, further growing our industry. Once we were allowed to start working again, the money being spent by pet owners kept us in demand and making a higher profit. So, as hard as it was, COVID changed us…in some ways for the better.
“According to the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute, 98% of pet owners say their pet is an important part of their family, 87% say they experience mental health improvements from pet ownership and 76% say their personal health has improved because of their pet. The trend of humanizing pets makes industry growth understandable and even inevitable. Almost no other industry has growth drivers as strong as these. And yet, a number of factors are cause for concern about the future of the pet business.”
One of these concerning factors was described in a PetHelpful article on Yahoo!:2 “It’s becoming harder and harder for pet owners to support themselves and their four-legged companions. In fact, Shelter Animals Count’s 2024 Mid-Year Analysis3 shows just how big the problem has gotten. They discovered that the number of people adopting pets has started trending downward after several years of trending upward, and it’s left animal shelters and rescues with over 320 thousand more animals than they had at the beginning of the year. So why the sudden change?”
Like most answers to questions like these, it’s the economy. “The answer lies in the net effect of acquisition and attrition,” reports an article from PetSmart Charities. “Households with incomes over $100,000 gained three times as many pet owners (3.9 million) during the COVID-19 pandemic than in the period between 2017 and 2019. This surge in pet ownership in the highest income bracket accounts for the commensurate increase in spending experienced by the retail pet supply industry. Unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic were not felt by everyone equally. Lower-income brackets of households earning less than $35,000 saw a loss of pet owners of 3.4 million between 2019 and 2021 compared to a gain of 264,000 between 2017 and 2019. The difference between renters and homeowners is even more stark. Pet parents who owned their own homes increased by 3.7 million, while pet-owning renters declined by 4.3 million between 2019 and 2021—resulting in a net loss of 600,000 pet-owning households.”4
We are still a healthy industry, but we may be near the apex of our recent explosive growth. Time will tell, but things may slow or level off a bit, perhaps to find a “new normal.” So, for us now, the focus may become more about keeping and serving the clients well that we do have, as opposed to creating capacity for an influx of new ones.
Good customer service means always doing our best for the precious living beings that we are privileged to care for as a way of making a living. We can feel good about that and focus ourselves on delivering the best to our clients. My clients were particularly complimentary about the time I was willing to spend explaining their pet’s breed history, advice I provided on matters related to health, training and nutrition, or an explanation of their coat type and what its unique needs were.
Think about the appearance of your grooming facility, whether it be salon, mobile or from home. Redecorate or try a new paint job. Keep everything very clean and sanitary. Try new add-ons just to change things up a bit. Ask your clients what they think of your service, either verbally or by creating a survey for them to take, and listen to their feedback. Thank them for the good observations and take to heart any suggestions they make for improvement. Now is the time to work to keep the clients we have and serve them well so that they stay our clients.
Another factor to consider is the geriatric bump that may lie ahead. Since we saw a lot of newly purchased younger dogs and puppies in 2020 and 2021, and not nearly as many in recent years, in five or more years from now, our businesses could be caring for a significantly larger percentage of geriatric dogs. And since senior dogs take longer to groom and often require special handling, it would be wise for us all to look at our clientele as a whole—a big picture view from above.
There are lots of great publications and organizations that monitor and report on trends, offering very helpful information for our livelihoods. Read and subscribe to industry magazines, go to trade shows, and try to learn about the industry outside of the grooming sector. There are many great podcasts just in our grooming industry that are filled with information about trends in our grooming community, and also in the wider pet business world. Go to dog shows in your area and meet and talk to other pet professionals. Build relationships. Take time to look outside your own busy life to see the wider world of this amazing industry we are a part of, and be proud of it!
References:
- Kestenbaum, R. (2024, April 4). The Pet Industry Is Doing Great. And Getting Worse. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardkestenbaum/2024/04/10/the-pet-industry-is-doing-great-and-getting-worse/
- LaFrank, G. (2024, August, 21). Number of People Who Have Pets Is Trending Downward in 2024 and One Factor Is to Blame. Yahoo! https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/number-people-pets-trending-downward-162000458.html?guccounter=1
- Shelter Animal’s Count 2024 Mid-Year Analysis. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mid-Year_2024_Report.pdf
- Castelazo, A. (2022, August 23). Did the Pandemic Really Create a Boom (or Bust) for Pets? PetSmart Charities. https://petsmartcharities.org/pro/resources/thought-starters/did-the-pandemic-really-create-a-boom-or-bust-for-pets