RETAILERS SHARE INSIGHT into what CBD and other hemp products they sell — and what they’d like to sell — in this issue’s Little Survey, the younger and more focused version of our annual Big Survey.
What type of CBD and other hemp products do you sell most?
What primary condition are customers most looking to help manage with CBD and other hemp products?
Which do you sell more of?
Rank these qualities by importance for deciding which CBD and other hemp products to sell:
If you face challenges selling CBD and other hemp products, what is the biggest one?
*This answer best represents the majority of “Other” responses: “People have tried cheaper options that didn’t work, and now don’t want to pay more money for a quality product.” Another common answer was credit-card processors that do not accept payments for these products.
RETAILER WISHLIST
MOAR CAT CBD was the most common answer to this question! Retailers want more options for felines in a variety of delivery formats, flavors and price points. They also request:
- More CBD salves for wounds. — Samantha Youngblood, Youngblood’s Natural Animal Care Center and Massage, Wilkinson, IN
- An easier way to distinguish which brands are trusted. How do we make better choices on which brands to sell? — Margo Tortorelis, My Natural Pet, Brooklyn, NY
- CBD pills. Some pets won’t take any of the treats or tinctures. — Adina Silberstein, Queenie’s Pets, Philadelphia, PA
- Better education on federal regulations. — Annabell Bivens, The Dog Store, Alexandria, VA
- More CBD for birds. It would do wonders for plucking! — Megan Swain, Critter’s Corner, New Smyrna Beach, FL
- Easy-to-understand dosing charts. — Lisa Vella, South Bark Dog Wash, San Diego, CA
- More across-the-board training on CBD, not by a specific brand … a broader, knowledgeable source. — Ruth Sturgis, Dog Daze, North Syracuse, NY
- More flavors of dissolvable strips. — Amber Van Denzen Suarez, Atta Boy! Animal Care Pet Sitting + Dog Walking, Mulberry, FL
- Higher-concentration cookies, 15 to 20mg. — Kristi May, Legend Acres, Surprise, AZ
- Edible products that are simply meat and CBD. — Beth Kidd, Dogs By Design, Irwin, PA
- POP that includes more info on why CBD helps: Explain the endocannabinoid in a way that can be easily understood and shared with customers, something I can laminate and have handy by the product. — Dorothy Vetrovec, Nature’s Feed, Spring Grove, IL
- CBD in spreads such as pumpkin, peanut butter, sweet potato, etc., for lick mats. — Phyllis Kupfer, All Pet & Equine Supply, West Plains, MO
- Fast-acting CBD! Especially for our groomers to use. — Helen Bennett, The Grooming Place Pet Shop, Chester, MD
- More brand support as to what makes their product different than others would be very helpful. — Jennifer Hall, All Things Pawssible, Charlottesville, VA
- CBD in a food would be awesome. That way people would not forget to give it. — April Meier, Pawsitively Scrumptious, Crestview, FL
- So many pets get stressed out by giving oil directly in the mouth. Others don’t like edibles. More transdermal options would help not stress the animals out, especially cats. — Terri Nichols, Citydog Market, Atlanta, GA
- Powder form. Some pets can’t eat chews (too hard) and find it difficult to administer oil. — Kelly Lawrence, Barkingham Palace Pet Grooming, Houma, LA
- Powder form instead of treats or oil. Some owners find their pet can’t eat the chews (too hard) and find it difficult to administer the oil. — Kelly Lawrence, Barkingham Palace Pet Grooming, Houma, LA
- Clean chews without a lot of added ingredients. — Lorin Grow, Natural Pawz, Houston, TX
- Paw cream with CBD. — Pam Sine, Pet Silhouette, Hobe Sound, FL
- I wish there were more higher-dose treats/chews for the extra crazies and the large/giant breeds who are picky eaters. The majority of my customers’ biggest complaint is that they have to give so many treats to their dog to get the desired effect, which can get expensive but can also be tough when they are on a weight management diet. — Corey Heenan, Boutique and Pet Spa, Altamont, NY
- Acceptance by the federal government so all payment processors would accept retailers that sell it. — Krista Schmidt, St Peters Bark!, St Petersburg, FL
- More educational handouts for customers. — Kirsten Puhr, The NW Dog, Poulsbo, WA
- CBD shampoo or skincare! — Jessica Ryder, The Bark Club, Weymouth, MA
- I would love to see transdermal CBD like Earth Animal used to make. It worked so well and fast! — Anna Woodcock, Brown Dog Bakery, Ankeny, IA
- Samples to get customers to try a new product to see that their dog will actually eat it. — April Wright, The Dog and Cat , Essex Jct, VT
- I have not dived too much into CBD due to not being able to sell it on my website. I currently sell only one option of Hush Puppy Chews. I would say customers are more often looking for chews, as a lot of dogs won’t do topper additions to their food, so I would say more chew/treat options. — Mckenna Burzimati, Roxie’s Barkery, North Adams, MA
- Gummies. — Michael Dan, Redridge Pet Market, Richmond, VA
- Similar to other supplements, I’d like to see some published research supporting the amount of CBD and recommended dosing. — Cassie Nilsson, The Mill Stores, Whiteford, MD
- Sample-size bags for a minimal price. Many more people would purchase CBD if they could try it without making a $25-plus purchase, to see how their dog will react. — Kaye Busse-Kleber, Bark On Mulford, Rockford, IL
- More focus on recovery use, not calming/stress. — Lauren Gallagher, Everything But The Dog, Reading, MA
- More cat-safe options. — Loree Shirazi, Paw Pleasers, San Diego, CA
- I wish more brands did smaller bags/containers. We do so well with the Super Snouts Trial Size tubes. It’s a decent price, people get to try out the product for cheap, and once they see it works they buy a larger tub. Also more brands need to provide support to stores. We recently reached out to a brand that we were struggling to sell, and they were incredible and sent us samples, swag and education. — Rebecca Nicholson Yarn and Bone Pet Supply, Milford, DE
- CBD cat treats. — Angela Velasquez, The Kitty Bodega, Houston, TX
- I wish that there was a good way to apply a tincture to something rather than in the dog’s mouth that would absorb the tincture and somewhat mask the flavor. If someone made a treat to accomplish this, I’d be all over it. We prefer tinctures to CBD treats, but sometimes customers have issues administering a measured number of drops into their pet’s mouth. — Jennifer Marshall, Northwoods Pets, Rhinelander, WI
- More cat products! — Susanna Furlone, The Wishbone Pet Company, Freedom, CA
- More palatable chews. My dog does not eat them at all. I’ve tried so many! The only one he wants is the Green Element Cheese Chews. — Alina Mccue, Toiffer Pet Outfitter, Missoula, MT
- More education behind benefits. We are getting there, but it is really powerful. Sometimes there’s a push from conventional medicine that isn’t always as effective as a more natural remedy. — Jocelyn Turner, Woof Woof Pet Boutique and Biscuit Bar, Bristol, RI
- Promoboxx would be nice, but social media typically blocks these types of products from being advertised, which is silly. — Yolanda Degaetano, PT Pet Supply Inc., Webster, MA
- Ease of use. Many of the products are difficult for the customer to administer to their pets, and if it’s a treat they have to give too many to get the dosage they need. — Paula Gorman, Pet Supplies ‘N’ More, Muskego, WI
- More details as to what the pet parent can expect after giving CBD. — Diana Hardy, The Feed Bin, Rochester, WA
- I would like to see another transdermal option (like the old Zen Pen). We get customers asking for this occasionally. — Jennifer Guevin, Holistic For Pets, Bradenton, FL
- Better wording on packages. — Jessica Cooke, Yuppy Puppy Pet Spa, O’Fallon, MO
- Earth Animal used to have an oil that you could rub into a dog’s ears — my customers are still talking about that product and how easy it was to apply compared to trying to put it into mouth with the dripper or on treats or on food. — Natalya Schilling, Pets On Brady, Milwaukee, WI
- Standardization for dosage and therapeutic vs maintenance dosage. — Jamie Schuller Dog Naturals, Branson, MO
- Crunchy cat treats with CBD. — Alison Chandler, Noble Beast, Phoenix, AZ
- Palatable CBD chews for cats! — Katie Titterington, Arnie’s Pet Foods, Lincoln, NE
- More information that people can understand. — Mike Griffeth, Woofmeow, Derry, NH
- I need a reliable CBD treat for cats. By “reliable,” I mean one that works and that cats will eat. — Theresa Sexton, For Healthy Pets, Wetumpka, AL
- A palatable feline formula. — Tamie Waugh, Cobber’s Pet Pantry, Enumclaw, WA
- More palatable oral options for cats. — Angela, Ng Paws for a Moment Spa, LLC, Waukesha, WI
- More dermal and subdermal absorption delivery methods. My favorite is the type you rub in the ear. — Julie Johannes, Happy Hounds Pet Supply, Bigfork, MT
- Would like to see it added to all dog toys. — Doug Staley, Pet Palace of New City, New City, NY
- A document/shelf talker-that explains product features and benefits in simple terms, not too scientific. Education is important! — Sherry Cassin, Meow Mini Mart, Jersey City, NJ
- More topical products for pets who either can’t eat or who are very picky. — Heather Leonard, The Well Balanced Paw, Staunton, VA
- It would be wonderful if companies had marketing materials they can provide for us to share both online and printed materials without us having to print it out. I’ve found that people really want to think about some of the products and want to do research on their own before purchasing, and while we take the time to educate them, it’d be great for them to walk away with something in hand that we can attach our information to for them to come back for the sale. — Lisa Kirschner, Sit, Stay, ‘N Play, Inc., Stroudsburg, PA
- Labels that more easily give the potency of the product per dose. Many of them are confusing for both customers and staff members. — Jodi Etienne, Razzle Dazzle Doggie Bow-Tique, Bradley, IL
- More spreadable options for lickimats. Different proteins and flavors in the soft chews. — Kelly Hilzendager Treat Play Love, Grand Forks, ND
- CBDs blended with more and different supplements. — Jennifer Pastorini, Dusty’s Den, Sonora, CA
- Soft chew, least amount of ingredients. — Rachel Mcginnis, Leo & Lucky’s, Parrish, FL
- A higher level of understanding from the general public and less stigma associated with the category. — Dawn Hanner, Eastside Dog, Redmond, WA
- Wish Pet Releaf had an edible CBD treat option for cats. — Denise Strong, Pawz On Main, Cottonwood, AZ
What’s the Brain Squad?
If you’re the owner or top manager of a U.S. pet business serving the public, you’re invited to join the PETS+ Brain Squad. Take one five-minute quiz a month, and you’ll get a free t-shirt, be featured prominently in this magazine, and make your voice heard on key issues affecting the pet industry. Sign up here.