Sodalite Help Inspired Pet Nutrition Visualise Their Pet Food Vision
It’s safe to say that the United Kingdom is a nation of dog lovers, with more than 10 million dogs* being kept as pets.
Over a quarter of all households in the UK have a dog**. This makes the dog food and treats category worth £2.1billion
a year**.
With this in mind, it’s important to make sure dog owners know what food is best for their pets and it’s doubly important to make the shopping experience as enjoyable and educational as possible. The challenge the team at IPN had was that pet food is treated like standard household products, stacked on deep shelves like a commodity.
This approach does nothing to engage shoppers or drive basket spend.
As part of IPN’s plans to change how retailers view pet food, Sodalite Creative were approached to create an animation showing how the future of pet food could look in store.
Phil Cotterill, Head of Category and Insight said
“We have worked with Sodalite Creative for many years and we knew that they would be able to take the category analysis we had produced and turn it into something that would revolutionise the way shoppers shop the category.”
IPN had commissioned research into shopper attitudes and behaviour. This was shared with Sodalite and became the start point for the vision. It’s an interesting fact that, like humans, our pets are living longer. This means their nutritional needs change over time.
They are in no position to tell their owners what they need so the fixture needs to raise awareness of potential issues and guide the shopper into the right choices for their dog’s needs.
While the majority of dog owners only want the best for their pets, sometimes they can inadvertently make the wrong decisions. Understanding that an old or senior dog is aged 7 plus is a clear case in point. Many pet owners have a dog that is over 7 years old, but they still feed them food for younger dogs. Sodalite Creative understood that clear relevant signage was needed and changed in the aisle headers, removing the phrase “Senior” and replacing it with “7 Plus”. This was an easy way to make shoppers think again
about their pet and their pet’s nutritional requirements.
To further aid shoppers, the 7 plus display included a touch screen with information on how to care for an aging dog, as well as a leaflet that can be taken away as an information source to read at home.
For many, COVID now seems like a distant memory, but the impact of lock down and the acceptance of working from home had a major impact on the pet market, with the number of dogs in the UK rising by +11%*. Great news for the industry but many new pet owners didn’t know where to go for information on coping with a puppy.
The first port of call would often be the pet specialty retailers such as Pets at Home or Jollyes. Unfortunately, not all new owners can easily visit one of these stores.
To solve this problem Sodalite Creative created a Puppy bay containing all of the products a new owner would need for their new fluffy bundle of joy. In addition, an interactive touch screen was incorporated so that frequently asked questions can be answered whilst at the fixture. This approach makes the retailer a trusted supplier of advice, accessories and most importantly food for the lifetime of their pet. A great way to gain loyalty.
Having dealt with the challenges of young and old dogs there is still the issue of dogs with special dietary needs. A large proportion of dog owners have pets with issues such as sensitive stomachs, poor skin condition or joint problems, to
name but a few.
A section of the aisle was developed to provide dry food specifically tailored to a dog’s health needs. A touch screen was built into the fixture to allow the shopper to answer questions about their dog, the dispenser would then dispense kibble with the precise nutrients to enhance their dog’s health. Not only does this go a long way to improving the dog’s life, it also adds interest and authority to the pet food aisle making it the “go to” destination for all pet needs.
Finally, a dog’s life wouldn’t be complete without treats. For the vision, the treating section was increased and treats segmented by usage. This made it easier for shoppers to find the right treats for their needs. Treats can be seen as fulfilling 3 main needs, training support, providing pleasure or as a health supplement. This was clearly communicated at the fixture.
The Sodalite team felt the treat section could be further enhanced by the use of a “bump out”, pulling the 4 bays of treats further into the aisle to increase stand out. Illuminated signage also enhanced the visual appeal of the display, making it easier to shop therefore improving customer satisfaction. Sodalite’s team of visual artists developed a detailed threedimensional model of the aisle and animated it to show how things could look in years to come. This was not only a great conversation starter but also a superb way to show retailers
the art of the possible, were they to dare to dream.
Tony Jerodiaconou, Managing Director of Sodalite said
“These visualisations remove all ambiguity as the retailers can clearly see the direction that IPN want to take the aisle. It also forms an anchor that discussions can stem from to help develop the category and grow strong retailer & supplier relationships”
The next stage of the project is for the IPN Category team to share this vision with the trade. Sodalite Creative not only developed an animation that takes the viewer down the aisle to show what could be achieved, they also developed a virtual environment whereby the viewer can don a headset and be fully immersed in the aisle.
The viewer can literally walk the virtual aisle and inspect all aspects of the category.
Phil Cotterill, Head of Category and Insight said
“The immersive environment is a real game changer for us. Until now it’s been difficult for our customers to fully understand how a shopper would feel in a new concept aisle, but with the immersive VR they are actually transported to the aisle and can interact as a typical shopper would.”
There’s still a long way to go before this vision actually gets to store but IPN are leading the way with innovative thinking and groundbreaking visuals. All they need now are for the retailers to embrace the future and reset their aisles for the benefit of the 10 million dogs* and their owners.
If they do that; the dogs of the UK will be thankful.
*OC&C Dog Population Research, February 2024. ** Nielsen IQ Homescan 52 w/e 22.02.25.