Regular readers know we like pet trends here at Smallbizabs, especially the trend towards pet humanization. This is the growing trend of pet owners seeing their pets as full fledged family members and themselves as "pet parents".
Pet parents treat their children well, which is why pet industry revenues continue to grow. According to an article in Media Post, U.S. retail sales of non-food pet supplies totaled $11.1 billion in 2011, up 2% over 2010.
Please note these sales numbers do not include pet food. U.S. pet food sales increased 4.5% to $19.2 billion in 2011.
The final paragraph of the Media Post article covers the pet humanization trend:
"The ultimate blurring, however, is that between humans and pets. Many of the products entering the U.S pet supplies market are directly reminiscent of human fare, appealing to pet owner as much as pet."
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