Nicole Hill
Executive Director, Strategy
Nextin Research by MarketPlace
MarketPlace is a firm specializing in strategy, research, branding and marketing for pet and human nutrition companies. In more than 12 years there, Nicole Hill has led strategy and research for global business-to-business (B2B) companies and national consumer brands in the pet and human nutrition categories, including Farmland Traditions, BARK, TropiClean, Ultra Chewy , Kerry, Zinpro and SupplySide. She bridges the B2B supply chain and consumer market dynamics to inform product innovation, identify untapped market opportunity and develop and market new brands. In her role, Hill also leads MarketPlace's syndicated research arm: Nextin Research. Focused on pet and human nutrition categories, Nextin provides industry professionals turnkey access to insightful consumer data, trends and insights that help them anticipate what's next in their categories.
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Tue Apr 29 3:10 PM - 4:15 PM | Pet food market sessions: Ingredients trends and consumer perceptions KCCC 2103C - Pet food ingredient trends: Insights from 2024 sales — Lara Moody, executive director, Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), provides findings of a fall 2024 report assessing dog and cat food ingredients and sales volumes, ingredient scope and trends, economic benefits to the farm economy and the role of ingredient circularity. The results, an update to a similar 2019 report, draw from a study analyzing NielsenIQ data for brick-and-mortar and online pet food sales, combined with an analysis of product nutrient profiles to evaluate the wide scope of ingredients used in pet food manufacturing. A collaborative effort among IFEEDER, AFIA, the North American Renderers Association, Pet Food Institute and individual IFEEDER contributors, the study looks at pet food formulations, ingredient nutrient profiles, shopper preferences and price points.
- Novel proteins and today’s pet parent: What’s next? — Nicole Hill, executive director, strategy, Nextin Research by MarketPlace, focuses on new consumer research exploring the attitudes and values that influence pet owners’ perceptions and behaviors related to novel proteins in dog and cat foods and treats. Drawing from a 2025 survey by her company, she highlights emerging and sustaining consumer trends and insights specific to less common proteins, including cultivated meats and others. More than identifying objections, the presentation provides a deeper understanding of the consumer subgroups for these products, uncovering those most inclined to adopt pet products made with novel proteins and the attributes that most resonate with these audiences.
- Insect protein in pet food: Assessing consumer perceptions, knowledge and willingness to pay — Lonnie Hobbs, Ph.D., assistant professor, and Aleksan Shanoyan, Ph.D., professor, Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics, present results of a survey of U.S. pet owners about their perception of insect proteins in pet food and the attributes likely to increase their purchasing of such products. While this protein source has been identified as a viable alternative to help meet the rising demand for high protein levels in pet food amid a limited supply of animal-based proteins derived from human food production, there is an absence of published research to help pet food decision-makers develop effective marketing strategies for insect-based proteins in pet food. This survey may boost companies’ competitive advantage and capture the profit potential derived from pet food products with insect-based proteins.
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