The veterinary industry is resilient and somewhat insulated from economic factors. However, as pet ownership rises, particularly among younger adults, there is a sharper focus on external factors in product decision-making. The modern consumer looks at everything. Ethical supply chains, environmental impacts, animal welfare, corporate citizenship, brand authenticity, sustainability, and other influcences, such as purpose-driven purchasing, all factor in before price is even considered.

The fact is, higher pet ownership doesn’t translate to sales. Modern consumers are much more informed and a lot less loyal than past generations. The days of sticking to one brand for the lifecycle of their pets are long gone. Vets know this, and they must meet their clients’ expectations while also providing exceptionally high standards of clinical care and stocking and recommending products that are “on trend”.

Selling products in the veterinary market is not a simple process. Many vet partner businesses we work with have excellent products, and most meet many, if not all, of the external requirements I’ve mentioned above. So, why aren’t they making the expected inroads? – The answer is not a problem with the product; it is an issue with its positioning.

Great products don’t necessarily sell themselves. They need to be clearly understood, differentiated and communicated to the right audience. They must have a story that resonates with the intended audience. Without a compelling story, they can become just another option competing primarily on price.

Veterinary professionals are presented with countless products, suppliers and service providers every day. Their time is limited, attention is divided, and purchasing decisions are influenced by far more than technical specifications. In many vet practices, it is the vet nurse or practice manager who is filtering through all the options and presenting a small number of possibilities to the clinical decision makers. These professionals are also often the ones fielding the client’s questions on a particular product.

Questions such as:

• Why should I trust this supplier?
• How is this different from alternatives?
• Is this worth changing from my current solution?

In addition, the vet nurses and practice manager are being asked questions by the clinical team

• Is it effective?
• Is there evidence supporting its use?
• Is it safe?
• Does it improve patient outcomes?

If your marketing story doesn’t answer these questions quickly and consistently, your product’s strengths won’t be the edge you need to change the buyer’s behaviour.

Let’s take a moment to understand positioning. Many vet partner businesses view positioning as nothing more than a tagline or marketing slogan. “Buy Better”, “Ethically Sourced”, blah blah, however, it is much more nuanced. Positioning is the space your business and, by osmosis, your products occupy in the mind of the buyer.

Positioning must be fast and retrievable. Who do you serve, what problems you solve, why your solution makes a difference and why your claims are believable. When these elements are clear, every aspect of your marketing becomes effective. From your website and digital advertising through to your sales presentations and customer conversations.

Without clear positioning, businesses often default to discussing features, specifications and price. Unfortunately, competitors can usually match those conversations, and when their positioning is clear, your products and services become the second- or third-choice option.

Many veterinary partners and suppliers rely heavily on technical information to differentiate themselves. While product efficacy, clinical evidence and scientific validation are all important, they rarely provide enough context on their own to influence purchasing decisions. Customers don’t simply buy products. They buy confidence, reliability and most importantly, trust.

They buy solutions that make their work easier or improve their clients’ outcomes. Your marketing must connect technical excellence with practical business value and the end consumers’ trust.

When speaking with veterinary industry partners, “how do we build trust” is one of the most common challenges we face. Many have faced trust erosion over their journey, and it has very little to do with the products or services they offer. In almost all cases, erosion of trust stems from inconsistent or misaligned messaging. For example, a company’s website may tell one story, its social media presents another and sales representatives communicate something different again.

Often, we see marketing brochures that focus on product features, while digital advertising promotes price. The result is confusion, which will quickly dilute trust. When we study strong brands, we see they don’t rely on individual campaigns to build recognition. They build trust through consistent messaging across every customer touchpoint.

When alignment in positioning is consistent across your organisation, customers gain confidence because every interaction reinforces the same value proposition. This is where trust in your offering is cemented.

Business leaders are aware that competing on price is a slippery slope. Price may create a short-term win, but from there, it can only go down, straining margins. When customers struggle to understand what makes your offering different, price naturally becomes the easiest point of comparison.

With strong and recognised positioning, brands change the narrative. Potential clients stop asking “Who is cheapest?” and begin asking, “Who has the best options for what we need?” That shift creates significant commercial value. Businesses with clear market positions experience higher-quality enquiries, improved customer loyalty and conversion rates, and, best of all, confidence in their pricing.

While positioning doesn’t eliminate competition, it does enable businesses to compete on expertise and long-term value rather than price.

Positioning is all about creating a consistent, believable story, and your website is the most valuable vehicle for communicating it. In most cases, it is the first meaningful interaction prospective customers have with your business. When your website is designed for positioning, it lets visitors know quickly and clearly who you are, the problems you solve, why your solutions are market leading and what they need to do next. Too many veterinary suppliers focus their websites on products rather than customer outcomes.

In almost every veterinary business, customers are less interested in product specifications and more interested in understanding how those products improve efficiency, reduce risk, support better patient care or strengthen their business. As a tip, when positioning a veterinary industry partner or supplier, we always endeavour to position their potential customers as the heroes and the supplier as the trusted partner who helps them succeed.

If you’ve been reading my articles, you’ll know that I always refer to marketing as a dynamic, adaptable ecosystem. Customer behaviour, demographics and external environmental and technology factors are constantly shifting. Markets evolve, customer expectations grow, and new competitors emerge. It is the same across all industries. Positioning should never be treated as a one-off branding exercise completed every five years. At SVMG, we consistently review our clients’ positioning, ensuring that the messaging reflects changing customer needs, industry trends and the broader business objectives.

In my experience, the veterinary industry doesn’t lack innovation. The challenge is clarity. Most industry partners have exceptional products, supported by experienced teams and genuine expertise, yet struggle to communicate their value in a crowded marketplace. The organisations that consistently grow are the ones that make it easiest for customers to understand why they matter. Consistent, thoughtful and well-managed positioning bridges the communication gap, enabling vet industry partners to compete on value and trust, not solely on price.