A greetings card company has created a range of Valentine’s Day cards for pets after seeing a more than 200% increase in searches since the start of the year.
It’s estimated three million dogs were bought during the pandemic and Dotty About Paper founder Lisa Forde said pet ownership is drastically changing consumer habits.
“We’ve always been a nation of dog lovers but today’s consumers are spending more on their pets than ever before,” Forde explains. “From specialist diets and cosy outfits to personalised food and water bowls, there’s a real opportunity for retailers to expand into the pet market.”
It comes after a study before Christmas revealed a third of British people spend up to £45 on their pooch during the festivities, the same amount as they spend on family and considerably more than they spend on human friends.
Forde adds that the trend is only set to continue. “We’ve seen a 225 per cent increase in searches for cards for pets compared to this time last year and we’ve had new searches on the site such as ‘dog dad’ and ‘dog party’. “For the first time in our 10-year history we’ve created special cards for dogs and cats starting off with Valentine’s Day and we’re already looking at expanding the range to include birthday cards and stationery for dog parties, too.”
Forde says that pet owners truly see their furry friends as part of the family in today’s world and it’s up to retailers to get on board with the trend. “It’s a huge market and one that is only going to get bigger and bigger,” she adds.
