Packaged Facts: Online Delivery of Cat Litter, Increased Demand for Dog Waste Bags Shaping $3.5 Billion Pet Clean-Up Market

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Jun 15, 2016, 09:27 ET

ROCKVILLE Md., June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a funky side to pet ownership. As cute and cuddly as our furry companions may be, they all have the inevitable and unavoidable need to use the bathroom. Fortunately, pet marketers have devised a diverse array of pet clean-up and odor-control products that make it easier to keep our animals and our homes fresh, according to Pet Litter, Clean-Up, and Odor Control Products: U.S. Market Trends, the latest report from market research publisher Packaged Facts.

"No one likes to dwell on the idea of cleaning up after their pets, no matter how much they love them. But innovation is born of necessity, and the pet clean-up segment is seeing its share of products that minimize the more unsavory realities of pet parenting—or at the very least make the process more convenient," says David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts.

In Pet Litter, Clean-Up, and Odor Control Products: U.S. Market Trends, Packaged Facts estimates that retail sales of pet clean-up products reached $3.5 billion in 2015. This is up from $3 billion in 2010, resulting in a 3.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the period. Packaged Facts estimates that the market will reach $4 billion by 2020, based on a 2.5% CAGR. The two greatest factors impacting the market are:

continued growth in cat litter, especially online purchases of litter
increased usage of dog waste bags

Cat litter is by far the largest category in the pet clean-up and odor-control market, with nearly $2.9 billion in sales and an 82% market share for 2015. In fact, based on Packaged Facts' 2015 report, Pet Supplies in the U.S., litter is the largest of all the non-food pet supplies categories. A major trend in the robust cat litter segment is online shopping.

With the expansion of pet departments across the mass-market universe and the growing popularity of online shopping, litter marketers now have access to more retail outlets than ever before. Cat owners no longer even need to leave their house to purchase it. Packaged Facts' April 2016 survey results show that 11% of cat owners have litter delivered to their homes, and an additional 39% are interested in having it delivered in the future if it is convenient and/or economical to do so. What all this means is that litter marketers trying to get the attention of consumers need to get creative and use a variety of methods to establish and grow their presence in this steadily expanding category. Tapping into social media outlets, publicizing social responsibility efforts, and finding new sources of capital are all ways that litter marketers are appealing to cat owners, on top of advertising the products themselves.

Meanwhile, the dog waste bag category is poised for a surge. Waste pickup products will become increasingly important as plastic shopping bag taxes are rolling out across the country. Dog owners who previously stockpiled their grocery bags will have to purchase pickup bags as a replacement.

Packaged Facts believes variety is the key to success in the dog waste bag category. Most marketers offer multiple waste disposal options, from heavy duty to scented to colorful. Petmate, for example, offers handle-tie bags, small and large rolls of standard refill bags, corn starch-based bags, and dispensers. Customers are also looking for eco-friendly options. In addition to bags, dog owners are looking for innovative and attractive dispensers and accessories that make it easier for them to transport their waste bags both before and after they've been used. Krysak Industries' H-Clip, for example, is a single-bag carrier that allows dog walkers to seal any plastic bags temporarily and without a knot.

Relatedly, specially designed scoops offer a convenient method for owners to clean up after their dogs. For example, there's the Poop Pickup Scoop which provides one-handed operation, the capacity to collect multiple deposits in a bag and the ability to retrieve waste from grass, flower beds, dirt, concrete and asphalt. Other marketers have developed fashion-forward accessories that allow owners to carry their bags in designer accessories, complete with Italian leather and rhinestones. The end goal is to make what is undeniably an unpleasant task less disagreeable.

Pet Litter, Clean-Up, and Odor Control Products: U.S. Market Trends analyzes this market in depth, dividing the market into five categories: cat litter, litter boxes and accessories, puppy/training pads and accessories, dog waste bags and accessories, and pet clean-up and odor control sprays and concentrates. The report charts historical sales and projections for the market overall and category by category; analyzes marketing and new product trends; and draws on insights from other reports in Packaged Facts' extensive Pet Market Collection.

For more information or to purchase Pet Litter, Clean-Up, and Odor Control Products: U.S. Market Trends visit: http://www.packagedfacts.com/Pet-Litter-Clean-10083348/.

About Packaged Facts – Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer demographics and shopper insights, consumer financial products and services, consumer goods and retailing, consumer packaged goods, and pet products and services. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased at www.PackagedFacts.com and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

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SOURCE Packaged Facts