The aquatics phase is seeing extra new aquarists enter the interest, pet specialty retailers reported, and progress in aquatic dietary product gross sales is following swimsuit.
“The hobby grew a lot over the last two years,” mentioned Annalise Roy, supervisor for Waterbury Aquarium, a pet retailer in Waterbury, Conn. “It’s staying steady nowadays. We sell a lot of live foods. We sell live blackworms, live brine shrimp and ghost shrimp. There are a lot of people who care about the quality of the food that they’re giving to their pets.”
Marine aquarium keepers are inclined to rely extra on frozen meals to make sure their aquatic pets get the vitamin they want, and whereas livestock availability is a matter, gross sales of frozen merchandise stay excessive.
“Livestock availability really does determine what customers are buying,” mentioned Zachary Swope, gross sales affiliate at Aquarium Center, a pet retailer in Clementon, N.J. “Some saltwater species have been harder to find. And saltwater keepers have to rely on frozen foods or live feedings to keep their animals going, for the longevity of the animal. In terms of freshwater, I find that unless we go out of our way to educate them, a lot of customers tend to ignore frozen foods. They just walk right by it, and only buy flakes and stick with what they know. … Even so, there has been more of a drive to use more live and frozen foods. We’re selling more of both.”
Even as inflation impacts many segments inside the pet trade, gross sales of fish diets are sustaining momentum.
“Hobbyists are still feeding their pets, as we usually do not see a decline in sales due to inflation,” mentioned Jason Oneppo, analysis and improvement supervisor for San Francisco Bay Brand and Ocean Nutrition Americas, producers with headquarters in Newark, Calif. “Our top-selling products can be provided to marine and freshwater aquariums, and everything is selling as fast as we can make it. In challenging economic times, people turn to their aquariums for comfort as a way to relieve stress.”
While some segments inside the wider interest are dearer, this doesn’t look like a barrier to entry into the interest for brand spanking new aquarists.
“We also see some transition from marine to freshwater as the prices for marine fish and corals have skyrocketed,” mentioned Chris Clevers, president of Hikari Sales USA, a producer in Hayward, Calif. “Also, a lack of aquatic equipment may have kept folks looking to get into the marine hobby doing freshwater fish instead. Frozen food also has been a good category for most retailers. We’ve been told by installation and maintenance companies that their business is strong, with booking out a number of months. This could mean new food customers are on the way in the future.”
The freshwater interest is booming, as beginner-friendly setups are in style and available, serving to to drive aquatic meals gross sales.
“There’s a lot of attention on small world tanks and betta enclosures and things that can sit just on dresser tops that are different, unique and interesting,” mentioned Rick Preuss, proprietor of Preuss Pets, a pet retailer in Lansing, Mich. “A lot of customers buying their first fish tank are buying 5- and 10-gallon setups.”
New Products
Fresh & Frozen Fare
Sales progress inside the aquarium interest has led fish meals producers to fulfill growing demand with new product choices.
“Vibra Bites XL was just released in July,” mentioned Chris Clevers, president of Hikari Sales USA, a producer in Hayward, Calif. “This is a larger version of our Vibra Bites line of sticks that are designed to mimic frozen bloodworms as they move through the water column when they are fed.”
The meals gives color-enhancing capability and is focused as a dietary choice for tropical fish, Clevers added.
Ocean Nutrition is planning to launch Frozen Formula Food Flat Packs, that are formulated to comprise the nutritious elements discovered within the marine setting, reported Jason Oneppo, analysis and improvement supervisor for San Francisco Bay Brand and Ocean Nutrition Americas, producers with headquarters in Newark, Calif.
“These flat packs offer a source of energy for reefs and fish, and provide organic and inorganic nutrients that meet the unique dietary needs of species-rich marine habitats,” Oneppo mentioned. “Additionally, they are made in the USA in our state-of-the-art USDA/APHIS-certified facility. These formulations do not contain gels, preservatives, added colors or terrestrial vegetable matter. They are low in phosphorus and are processed using RO/DI water, having minimal impact on water quality when used correctly.”
The Frozen Formula Food Flat Packs can be found in 4 varieties: Reef Formula One, Reef Formula Two, Fish Only Formula and Predator Formula, Oneppo added.
Interest in goldfish is on the rise, as these iconic fish obtained a lift in visibility in the course of the pandemic.
“We see a resurgence in goldfish diet sales,” Clevers mentioned. “This seems to coincide with a bump in new goldfish keepers and higher-end goldfish keepers who entered the hobby during COVID.”
To meet the demand for goldfish diets, Tetra has launched a brand new goldfish line with two SKUs referred to as Tetra Goldfish Worm Shaped Bites, mentioned Catherine Langford, senior model advertising and marketing supervisor for Tetra, a model of Spectrum Brands Pet, headquartered in Blacksburg, Va.
“The food itself is a complete formula but is formed to look like a worm shape,” Langford mentioned. “The shape makes it easy for consumers to dose. Also, our existing Tetra worm-shaped betta food is performing well in the market, and we expect similar consumer enthusiasm for a goldfish blend.”
The new line is formulated to supply an entire weight loss program with shrimp for high quality protein, and to be straightforward to digest. The worm-shaped bites are designed to be straightforward to portion, Langford added, and the form encourages incremental trial for retailers trying to develop their prospects’ market basket.
Retailers emphasize carrying selection to make sure prospects’ aquatic pets get the vitamin they want.
“From a nutritional standpoint, we’re not stocking anything on the shelf that is inferior,” mentioned Rick Preuss, proprietor of Preuss Pets, a pet retailer in Lansing, Mich. “If it’s used appropriately, I’m not too concerned about whether they’re getting the right thing off the shelf. I’m more concerned about the overall environment and the likelihood that the fish are getting enough nutrition.”
Competitive Advantage
Brick-and-Mortars Freeze Out Online Competitors
Independent aquatics retailers are in a powerful place to develop gross sales of fish meals merchandise, as they’re aggressive on worth in comparison with big-box and on-line retailers, particularly within the frozen meals phase.
“Frozen foods offer a huge advantage for us, because a lot of people don’t trust shipping frozen or live foods,” mentioned Zachary Swope, gross sales affiliate at Aquarium Center, a pet retailer in Clementon, N.J. “We have a lot of customers who just come in for our live foods and our frozen foods. Whenever they talk about frozen and live foods, they always mention the fact that they’ve ordered once or twice from an online retailer and have had poor luck with it. They end up coming to us. When they come here and actually have success with it—because we spend the time to make sure they’re getting what they paid for—they’re very happy with the results.”
The skill to peruse the assortment in-store can also be interesting to many patrons.
“Being able to come in and see our freezer and all the options and choices is enticing for customers,” Swope added. “When customers come in and see the selection, and it’s right there, they tend to buy from us.”
While frozen dietary product gross sales are more and more robust for impartial aquatics retailers, dry meals gross sales are extra impacted by competitors.
“Frozen is a unique niche,” mentioned Rick Preuss, proprietor of Preuss Pets, a pet retailer in Lansing, Mich. “That’s why we have the capacity in terms of space allocated to frozen foods. We can easily be competitive with the big-box stores, from a financial standpoint. Looking at prices recently, [big-box stores] were substantially more expensive than we were. It’s really difficult for online stores to compete in that market just because the food is frozen. In terms of the cost of shipping anything frozen, it’s really not even an option. We do sell a reasonable amount of dry foods. … However, inevitably some of the dry foods that we recommend are being sold online. And customers can oftentimes find those foods at a very competitive price, maybe even cheaper than we can offer.”
This dynamic is one purpose many aquatics retailers are rising their choices of frozen meals.
“Frozen food is strong, and this appears [to be] the go-to food to interact with fish,” mentioned Chris Clevers, president of Hikari Sales USA, a producer in Hayward, Calif. “We still see strong sales in this category as it may have become more ingrained in the feeding plans for a large number of consumers. We also see very good action in marine foods and smaller tropical fish.”
As demand for extra alternative in dietary merchandise is excessive, impartial retailers can profit from staying nimble and carrying the range of merchandise their buyer need to see.
“Offering a variety of foods to fish continues to trend,” mentioned Jason Oneppo, analysis and improvement supervisor for San Francisco Bay Brand and Ocean Nutrition Americas, producers with headquarters in Newark, Calif. “The frozen fish food category continues to grow, as well as the pellet and flake categories. Hobbyists have realized the benefits of offering a variety and are more aware of different fish having different nutritional requirements and feeding habits, so they do their best to meet those needs.”
