Interzoo 2018 – a view from Sure Petcare

15th August 2018

The Sure Petcare team attended the recent 35th Interzoo 2018 Global Pet Trade exhibition held in Nuremberg, Germany from 8 to 11 May 2018. One of over 2000 exhibitors featured from 70 countries, we showcased our latest products and a preview of new proactive pet care products to the market.

A global meeting place for the pet industry “all around the world”

Held every 2 years, Interzoo is one of the world’s largest events of its kind. Featuring an impressive 10 halls of exhibitors, the global pet exhibition is designed to be a central meeting place for pet suppliers to showcase their current and future innovations to key buyers from retailers large and small, with the intention to provide them with the latest and greatest products for their customers to help care for their pets in new and exciting ways. Side sessions for retailers to break into new markets such as South America, USA and China were also on offer.

This year, the theme was “Around the world” and it certainly brought a variety of nationalities, with Asia, South America and the Middle East well represented.  They had come together to view a variety of products from aquatics and equestrian, to food, accessories and services, representing the growing global pet market which was worth $109 billion *in 2017.

Personalisation and connectivity – key trends from Interzoo 2018

A key theme from the exhibitors was personalisation of pet care, which follows the industry’s response to a growing need of pet owners to care for their pets in a more humanised way.  This was particularly reflected in the pet food area where companies, such as Royal Canin, are offering tailored diets to meet the individual needs of a pet based on their breed, lifestyle and medical requirements.

Following the same personalisation theme, and the need to increase the connection between pet and owner, Interzoo 2018 saw an increased representation of pet tech products compared to previous years.  This reflected a booming industry in pet tech, which is predicted to reach $4.14bn globally by 2022, according to Grand View Research.  

From smart aquatic products monitoring optimum water temperatures, to interactive pet toys, there was a variety of tailored and connected pet care products making a first-time appearance at the international trade show.

On the Sure Petcare stand, we featured the first view of our connected products set to launch in 2018. Visitors to the stand came from far and wide, with big interest from Latin America and Asia, with the distinct objective of looking for smart, connected pet care solutions.  

Our products included:

SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap Connect

Enables owners to keep updated with their pet’s comings and goings from anywhere, which is particularly reassuring for owners who spend time away from their pets.  Used with the Sure Petcare app, owners can receive notifications on their pet's movements and monitor changes in their activity over time.  The easy-to-use app also enables owners to lock and unlock the door remotely, as well as to set individual, changeable entry and exit permissions for each pet, to offer truly individualised care for each pet in the household.

Animo

A unique dog behaviour and activity monitor which provides a window into a pet’s day: his activity, behaviour and wellbeing. In addition to tracking activities such as walking and running, Animo also provides an hour-by-hour sleep quality report every night, which can be compared against previous nights to easily spot changes in sleep patterns.  By learning a pet’s daily behaviour traits, Animo also alerts owners to significant behavioural changes such as barking, scratching and shaking when they occur outside what has been established as the normal behaviour pattern for a given pet.

Small, lightweight, waterproof and durable, Animo uses a suite of algorithms to accurately interpret activity and behaviour data into insights which help owners to care for their pets in a personalised and proactive way. 

SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder Connect

Uses integrated scales to precisely measure and monitor a pet’s food portioning and intake. Used with the Sure Petcare app, owners can view frequency, duration and times of feeding; making it ideal for portion control and weight management. Using SureFeed’s unique microchip-enabled access system ensures that only the designated pet can access the food in the bowl.

When used together, the data collected from individual connected devices in the Sure Petcare ecosystem will build a comprehensive picture of an individual pet’s health and wellbeing. By understanding their pet’s “normal” profile of behaviour, activity and health owners will be better equipped to identify changes which may indicate that veterinary advice or a change in care is required.

We were excited to share our vision for the future of pet care with industry leaders from around the world at Interzoo and were delighted by the level of interest in our new range of connected products from attendees at the show.  

Interzoo will next take place in 2020, by which time we anticipate that pet owners worldwide will have further embraced the benefits offered by connected pet products. As for Sure Petcare, we will continue to build out our ecosystem of connected products to meet this demand and will look forward to our next trip to Nuremburg in two years’ time.

*Euromonitor International Global Pet Market.