By Wanda Lenoir
Artfully Creates Pet Toys that Stand Out from the Pack
Pet Parents will go the extra mile to make the furry members of their family happy. Buying fun toys for special occasions and keeping pets occupied throughout the day is often a priority. Selling pet toys requires limited space to set-up and can be a profitable niche for independent retailers. The opportunity to generate high margins (typically 40 percent) within this impulse category and attract pet lovers of every generation continues to grow. While there is a range of common pet toys on the market, the creative artistry of Fringe Studio has taken designing pet toys for fun and functionality to the next level—yet the toys are fun, unique, and affordable. Jennifer Kruegel, Director of Product Management—Pet, offers retailers an inside perspective and welcomes the opportunity to provide an update about the company.
Is the company a family-owned business?
PetShop by Fringe Studio is a privately owned consumer goods company and art studio. It was established in 2004 by Founder, Scott Kingsland, and Creative Director, Cindy Hilliard who have worked together for 25 years. Their love for art led them to create this business for custom product development with intentional design.
With our handpicked team of artists, product managers, and sales managers, we’ve been able to take personnel from industries outside the pet industry and apply our backgrounds and past work experiences to offer things that are unexpected and fun. At our core, we’re just a bunch of pet parents that want to bring joy to pets around the world and really enjoy what we do.
As we grow our product offerings, our goal is to become a one-stop-shop for all your pet essentials while offering unique, artist curated prints and designs that stand out from what’s currently being offered in the market.
What toy brands does the business manufacturer?
PetShop by Fringe Studio launched in 2017 as a lifestyle brand for pets and their parents. We pride ourselves on offering original designs created by our in-house illustration team and pairing them with muti-functional elements to help extend playtime without sacrificing style.
Our second toy brand, Wagsdale, also follows this artist-first approach, but offers toys in themed merchandised collections that cater to different ways dogs like to play.
What are your best-selling categories?
Plush toys continue to be our largest and best-selling category. We also recently launched our Dura Club natural rubber dog toy collection that focuses on durable and functional elements like treat dispensers and puzzles to entertain and challenge pets and a floating dog toy collection called Splash Mates that’s made for water play in lakes or pools.
Why should independent retailers add pet toys to their product assortments?
The pet industry in the U.S. continues to thrive, and analysts are saying it’s not going to slow down. With an increase in pet ownership, more multi-pet households, and pets becoming members of our families, independent retailers should consider adding pet into their stores, if they haven’t already.
Pet toys are an easy category to start with as they can be impulse buys and don’t require a huge investment or product space. It also helps that consumers are seeing the value in the physical, mental and emotional benefits pet toys bring and how important they are to play and keeping pets happy and stimulated.
What are the “must have” pet toys for retailers to sell?
Just like people, pets are unique and have different interests, so when it comes to “must haves” for pet toys we’d suggest a diverse product range of toy types, features, and price points to appeal to a wider audience.
Once you’ve been able to see what your market is purchasing, we suggest you keep a percentage of best-sellers, but also sprinkle in some newness in formats or colorways throughout the year. Offering seasonal assortments is also a good way to freshen up your store and give customers a reason to come see what’s new.
At PetShop by Fringe Studio plush toys are our largest category, with plush toys with multiple features outselling our basics. We’re also getting a lot of consumer and retailer interest in more durable, interactive and functional toys. Value seems to be the driving factor for most toy purchases. Consumers are looking for toys that will withstand play, offer outlets for stimulation and exercise, provide multiple features all while not being too expensive.
Pet toys are often impulse buys, what are the best locations within the store to increase visibility and sales?
The best location for pet toys within a retail store is normally somewhere close to the cash register. That way as customers wait in the queue line they can see these pet toys and consider adding them to their current order. Endcaps are also a great location for pet toys. A well merchandised endcap can really draw customers in with all the colors, textures and functions.
Do certain generations of consumers buy more pet toys than others?
Researchers explain that although certain generations spend more on toys for their pets, when you compare their spending to their income you get mixed results. At PetShop by Fringe Studio we’ve designed our toys to appeal to a wide variety of customers and focus on design, quality, and value, which has given us good results.
How does cost affect the purchasing decision?
We’re finding customers are willing to spend more money for premium products that are unique, interactive and can withstand play.
What are the new trends in pet toys that are creating buzz?
The biggest trend we’re seeing in pet toys currently is innovation into the interactive toy category. Interactive toys continue to be a driver for us. At Global Pet Expo we launched our first floating dog toy collection, “Splash Mates” and our customer feedback has exceeded expectations with some customers even reconsidering adding additional sku’s into this more seasonal toy category
Our rubber dog toy collection, “Dura Club” continues to be a staple on almost every order placed. These natural rubber dog toys offer options for all levels of chewers with a variety of different features to prolong playtime.
We continue to build more into the interactive toy category with every product release as we see the value these toys bring to pets and their parents.
Are seasonality and regionality factors when selling pet toys?
When selling pet toys, don’t forget about adding seasonal assortments into your product offerings. With pets becoming more as family members and some household deciding on pets instead of children, it’s important to have seasonal assortments to help drive traffic into your store.
This year PetShop by Fringe Studio is offering a holiday dog toy and Holiday cat toy advent calendars so families can now involve their furry friends in the holiday festivities. We also offer Halloween, Winter/Christmas, Valentine’s and Easter seasonal collections.
What role does research and customer feedback play in product development?
Customer feedback is a necessity for our business. We’re so grateful to have a dedicated group of retail partners who can be our boots on the ground and gather feedback for us on what is working, needs improvement, or what categories we should be developing next. We enjoy the open lines of communication with our retail partners and always try to offer them more products to help them drive sales and keep dogs having fun.
Design and innovation are always at the forefront of what we do. Internally we do category analyses and product testing with our personal pets to ensure our toys hold up to our strict quality standard and if something isn’t working, we don’t release it. For PetShop by Fringe Studio it’s not about offering more than anyone else, it’s about releasing good quality products that pets and pet parents can enjoy.
What is the most important thing you want our readers to know?
At PetShop by Fringe Studio, we’re passionate about giving back to our local community of less fortunate pets. We help local rescue organizations multiple times a year by donating dog toys, pet beds, and other functional pet items. We want to make sure that regardless of the hardships a pet may be facing, he or she can still feel somewhat at home with a great toy to play with, a comfortable bed to sleep in, and a nice bowl to eat out of.
