Innovative Strategies for Pet Food Product Development: Tips and Hacks from Industry Experts

The pet food industry is constantly evolving, with new products hitting the market regularly. However, industry experts have expressed concerns about the lack of truly innovative new products that go beyond just line extensions or copycat products. But how can pet food product developers foster innovation and create truly unique offerings?

Two experts, Tamara Ghandour and David Molenberghs, shared their insights on how to drive innovation in the pet food industry. Ghandour, the founder of LaunchStreet, emphasized the importance of thinking differently about existing products to create a competitive advantage. She offered three “hacks” for achieving innovation, including asking inciting questions, getting past internal resistors to change, and avoiding the use of limiting language like “but” during brainstorming sessions.

Molenberghs, the co-founder and chief innovation officer of pet snack company Smoofl, presented his design thinking model, which involves constant iteration through five steps: empathize, define, ideate, test, and prototype. He also introduced the SCAMPER mnemonic for generating new ideas, which includes Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse.

By applying these strategies and concepts, pet food product developers can create truly innovative and unique offerings that stand out in the market. Innovation is key to driving growth and success in the pet food industry, and with the right mindset and approach, the possibilities are endless.