2012 – A ‘wake Up’ Year For UK Vets?

Author: Jonathan Posner
Posted: Tuesday 17th January, 2012. 11:17:33

While much of the economy has been flat or declining, small animal veterinary has been pretty resilient. People will always need vets, won’t they?

Well, as this is the time of predictions, I am predicting that 2012 is going to be a ‘wake up’ year for UK small animal vets. Actually, people won’t need vets as much as before – and the profession will face a big challenge if it’s going to survive.

But hold on – things are OK, aren’t they?

• While the number of pets per FTE vet has been decreasing, there are still a core of concerned owners who will ‘do whatever it takes’; keeping spend up
• Insurance has been growing and becoming more affordable – again, keeping spending up
• The gender shift to female in the profession – with its increased flexibility in working hours – has enabled practices to react to changes in workload more easily and keep overheads under better control.

No – the underlying trend is down and I believe that in 2012 this will accelerate:

• The continuing economic uncertainty will make more ‘concerned’ owners think twice about the cost of keeping a pet – opting to euthanase or not replace a pet that’s died
• The insurance market – so far profitable – will shake out as demand falls, making more underwriters exit the market and premiums rise, leading to more uninsured pets
• Owner loyalties will erode further as vet services become commoditised and social media exposes practices to more stringent feedback
• Pressure on overheads will drive corporate groups to reduce headcount
• The ongoing shift in medication sales from vets to pet stores (Pets at Home reports 11% rise in profits) will hit margins – making some practices unviable.

So how will vets need to adapt?

• Focus on best possible service and value to clients – ‘wow’ them with their concern for the patient and their conscientious follow-up (improving compliance can only help!)
• Get on the social networks and be part of the conversations – engage with owners and share success stories
• Be proactive in their marketing – reach out to the pet-owning community; don’t wait for them to come through the door!

So 2012 is going to shake things up – with fewer pets to treat and owners becoming more demanding. Vets that shake up their marketing will be best placed to survive until things start to pick up again – complacency will only reduce their chances of being around when that happy time comes.

Jonathan Posner

Business Director, Masius

Jonathan Posner is a Business Director at Masius, a brand marketing and advertising agency with a specialty in veterinary marketing. For more information visit www.masius.com or contact Jonathan Posner on 0207 307 9158 /jonathan.posner@masius.com

This article has been viewed 409 times.

Comments

Your name *

Your email *

Comments

Email me when a new comment is posted

Enter the two words below

Please note: All comments are moderated before being published