New services and products for pets. Among other things, some of the demographic and cultural changes leading to greater integration of companion animals into households are late marriages and a growing population of singles and childless households.
In addition to spas, restaurants, specialty stores, and more services that these family members can enjoy in life, there are others that have arisen especially to accommodate their departure.
According to Oscar Padilla Gómez, CEO of J García López and Bye Bye Friend, the foregoing is linked to the fact that it is increasingly common to find owners with responsible ownership of pets.
Under this premise, the funeral home launched Bye Bye Friend, which they describe as the first funeral sanctuary for animals.
Just as funeral services are contracted for people, this J García López product contemplates an accompaniment at the time of the death of a pet, from a special hearse, farewell rooms, cremation, collection of ashes, sale of urns, niches and even the option to turn ashes into diamonds.
“Part of the ashes of pets, families transform them into ashes, and we do the same with humans. Today more people transform the ashes of their pets into diamonds, than of humans”, sentenced Padilla Gómez
CEO J García López explained that currently the value of the pet market is approximately 35,000 million pesos (mdp) per year, while the value of funeral services is 12,000 mdp.
Nielsen statistics show that singles or couples without children spend between 1,500 and 5,000 pesos a month on services related to lodging, food, hairdressing services and even therapies for pets.
Funeral services are no exception, Padilla explained that this aspect of the business has had a result beyond what was proposed at the time of launching Bye Bye Friend.
“The contribution of pets within the group started being between 3 and 5% and today we are between 20 and 25%. Every month we are growing in sales of future plans for pets at a rate of 20% and at the end of the year we will surely close with a great number”.
Padilla explains that the demand is such that they plan to open a couple of crematorium ovens in 2023 plus some reception offices.
