Being Top Dog: How Modern Pet Food Freezers Can Boost Pet Store Sales
The modern era of pet nutrition is marked by a shift towards fresh food, organic and supplemental products, and new diets. Pets, now perceived as beloved family members rather than household companions, are given delicious and nutritious meals to ensure they live long, healthy, and happy lives. This phenomenon has triggered a boom in the pet market, ushering in the proliferation of new and innovative pet products that include raw and fresh food, supplements, and other novel creations. As a result, pet store owners are leaning more heavily into their pet food freezers, discovering uses that extend beyond mere storing and cooling.
Not many years ago, pet stores were dominated by food aisles containing shelves of dry kibble. Pet food freezers were often relegated to the farther end of stores, containing only a handful of refrigerated goods mostly consisting of specialty or prescription diets. However, giving in to pet parents’ clamor for healthier and more delicious options for their cherished animals, pet stores of today are stocking up on more and more fresh and refrigerated items, underscoring a need for more pet food freezers. Thankfully, these merchandisers have likewise undergone significant improvements over the years, equipping them with vast capabilities to serve and support pet retail.
Refrigeration in Modern Pet Food Freezers
Energy Efficient. Refrigeration is oftentimes a costly operation, but technological advancements have paved the way to make it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Power-saving features in current pet food freezers include energy-efficient LED lighting and glass panels, superior door sealing technology, and low maintenance condensers. By investing in such pet food merchandisers, pet retailers can significantly reduce operational costs, freeing up budget for other investments.
Environmentally Friendly. Going green and sharing customer values is a foremost goal for companies operating today. In pet food freezers, this can look like exerting conscious effort in finding materials that minimize environmental impact. Currently, alternative foam insulations, such as those with zero Ozone Depletion Potential, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Global Warming Potential already exist in the market, along with R290-approved refrigerants which contribute far less greenhouse gas emissions.
Customizable. Whereas traditional pet food freezers came with limited options in terms of size, design, and other features, modern ones are now available in a wide variety. In fact, they can now be customized to meet specific height, weight, and depth requirements, with designs that meet brand requirements or specifications (e.g., logo inclusion, use of brand colors, etc.). This means that now, they are no longer drab and bulky looking; rather, they are eye-catching and colorful vessels for marketing.
Dual-Temperature Capable. Dual-temperature pet food freezers are single units with two sections that can be individually set to different temperatures. This is ideal for goods that complement each other but have different storage temperatures, such as raw meat (very low temperatures) and fresh produce (slightly higher temperatures).
Smart Refrigeration & AI in Pet Food Freezers
More advanced technology can be leveraged in pet food freezers as well. Temperature-based health locks, IoT, AI, and data analytics can deliver many uses across different functions, including operations, marketing, sales, and merchandising.
Temperature-Based Health Locks. Temperature-based health locks add a layer of quality control when integrated, as they are programmed to prevent access to pet food freezers when a certain temperature is reached – even during power outages. This feature is very helpful for storing pet goods that spoil easily, such as probiotic supplements, ensuring safe merchandising of delicate pet products.
IoT. Pet food freezers can now be remotely monitored by leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure. Through the cloud, data like cabinet temperature and humidity can be tracked, transmitted, and even programmed to alarm when triggered. A detailed dashboard displays relevant information, giving operators rich data points they can use in creating sales and marketing plans and strategies.
AI and Data Analytics. Pertinent information gathered through the IoT network can be passed along to AI for a deeper analysis. Data acquired by various installed sensors can be analyzed by AI for patterns and trends, and subsequently, assumptions and forecasts. For example, weight-based sensors can detect the least purchased product in a pet food freezer, prompting AI to make possible recommendations on placement, inventory management, and other promotional strategies.
Pet Food Freezers in Supporting New Dog Diets
The evolution of the pet food industry has brought about new demands in terms of dog diets, and pet food freezers play a pivotal role in ensuring these demands are met.
Raw and Fresh Dog Food. In the interest of promoting longevity among their pets, owners are turning to raw and fresh dog food, which can come in the form of fresh vegetables, raw meat patties, and organ meats. This freshness, however, comes at the cost of shelf life as these goods have the propensity to quickly attract bacterial growth. The capability of modern pet food freezers to accurately control and maintain temperature guarantees that these goods are optimally stored. Moreover, AI can be enabled to give insights and send out alerts when products are nearing their expiry dates, prompting clearance measures (e.g., sales or disposal).
Supplements and Vitamins. The spotlight on canine health has inspired extensive purchase of supplements and vitamins that enhance and augment dog diets. These products, often requiring refrigeration to maintain potency, are in many instances developed by companies with product mixes that include other dog items such as dog food and treats. Storing and displaying all them together in a section makes merchandising sense, demonstrating a potential use for pet food freezers and refrigerators with customizable and dual-temperature features. Dual-temperature merchandisers can store the goods, maintaining different temperatures for their contents.
Fresh Dog Food and Dairy-Based Dog Treats. Food and treats often go together in shopping lists as the top two food items purchased for pets. Naturally, selling these products alongside each other can make good business sense. However, ideal storage for these items may sometimes vary, such as in the case of fresh dog food and dairy-based dog treats. In this case, dual-temperature pet food freezers are a good way to optimally store both products: fresh dog food can be stored in very cool temperatures to maintain freshness, while dairy-based dog treats can be stored in slightly warmer temperatures to preserve flavor and quality without freezing.
Conclusion
As owners become more attached to their pets, pet nutrition has seen a recent shift that impacts pet retail and its use of refrigeration. Pet food freezers, previously overlooked in stores, have become in-demand, with store operators discovering new ways to leverage the technology beyond cooling. Through features such as energy efficient and environmentally friendly refrigeration, customization and innovations, and other more advanced features such as smart system integration and AI, pet food freezers are capable allies in supporting modern dog diets.
Learn more about the most technologically advanced pet food freezers at SUPERZOO 2024. Happening on August 13-14 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, find Due North at Booth #1458 located in the Natural & Health area near Groomer’s Marketplace.