Boomers + Pets = A Full Nest

As I prepare to send my first born off to college this fall, it occurred to me that my wife and I are now one child away from an empty nest.  How will we Boomers ever cope?  After 18 years centered around scout meetings, school recitals, horseback riding lessons, little league games, you get the picture, I can’t imagine life without my kids. But wait, I do have other kids…furry kids, the kind that never talk back, that always greet you with a lick, and love you unconditionally, my dogs.

For years I’ve not only been sharing pictures of my kids with friends but pictures of my dogs too. When I bump into friends at the market as I did the other day and ask them how their dog is, they show me a visual photo album on their i-Phone. The conversation begins to center around our dogs; how they’re getting on in age and what their favorite outings are. I think to myself, have we come so far that our pets have replaced our kids? On the contrary, they’ve only been elevated to a new position in the hierarchy of the family, courtesy of the Baby Boomer. Gone are the days when our parents relegated the family dog to a chain attached to a tree in the backyard. Poor Rover, he was lucky if he even received even a passing glance.

Today things have never been better for Rover. According to the American Pet Products Association, in 2010, U.S. pet spending will reach a whopping estimated $47.7 billion, up from $45.5 in 2009.  Pretty impressive figures considering we are still struggling with a recession. It’s my guess no one told the dogs and cats we’re in one.  Considering that Americans spent $23 billion on pets in 1998, we’ve more than doubled our spending in just 12 years.   What a huge opportunity for a company marketing pet products to empty nest Boomers who’ll insist, nothing is too good for their Rover.

Traditional boomer product lines such as Harley Davidson, Paul Mitchell, Omaha Steaks and Origins, to name a few, have expanded their product lines to include dogs. After seeing a Harley guy stopped at a red light, with his pet Chihuahua along for the ride in a Harley dog seat, I know Harley Davidson gets it.  In my imagination, I see this burly biker gently massaging Paul Mitchell into his Chihuahua’s coat; then applying Origins conditioner to keep its coat silky smooth.  After the at-home spa treatment, they sit down to enjoy an Omaha Steak together. Sounds far-fetched? Guess again.

Consumer product companies have a huge opportunity to embrace the pet market the way they expanded into the children’s market when Boomers were raising their children. It wouldn’t be off the wall to see a Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel come out with a line of pet products, if they haven’t already. The opportunities are endless, and if a company hasn’t thought about the pet market yet, they should consider that $47.7 billion market and all that discretionary money Boomers have to spend. Spending on our dogs has never been a question in my house; they are just another line item in my monthly budget.  

As I think about my life as an aging Boomer approaching that empty nest stage, I can only say I have two furry kids that will never leave their pampered nest.  While we wait for all those future grandkids, we have our dogs to spoil and spend on.  My nest will always be full.

(See a related article in Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2010.)

Posted by Tom Gorski