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- China Marketing to Pet Owners Consumer Report 2024
This report looks at the following areas:
- The rise of the pet market and its current development
- Shifting perspectives on pet ownership and human-pet relationships
- High frequency pet care occasions
- Innovative products for life with pets
- Purchase channels for pet products and choice factors
- Marketing strategies that leverage new perspectives on pet ownership and the cute pet trend
The future of human-pet relations will focus on bringing owners and pets closer together while respecting pets’ inherent nature. Looking forward, this offers three avenues for marketing to pet owners: facilitating interactions to deepen the owner-pet bond; exploring the inherent nature of pets to provide more suitable pet care solutions; and balancing demands to promote peaceful coexistence between humans and pets.
Anita Li, Senior Research Analyst – Consumer Trends and Lifestyle, China
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Executive summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- What you need to know
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Market overview
- Increasing social atomisation underscores rising loneliness
- More and more people are choosing pets for emotional support and to alleviate loneliness
- Graph 1: number of pet dogs and cats living in towns and cities, 2019-23
- Pets have become the ideal 'life partners'
- The pet market is worth almost RMB300bn, but growth has slowed significantly
- China's pet market moves closer to full competition
- A large influx of new players enter the market as the financing boom fades, intensifying reshuffles and competition
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The consumer
- New concepts in pet ownership
- The changing role of pets: from accessories to indispensable family members
- Most pet owners in China are shifting from the second to the third phase
- Future trends in the human-pet relationship: becoming closer while respecting their animal nature
- Pet ownership gets an upgrade as 'science-backed pet care' drives advances in demands
- Graph 2: engagement with 'science-backed pet care' on social media channels, 2022-24
- Let pets be animals: the zoo-keeping concept of 'enrichment' enters the pet care field
- Graph 3: engagement with 'enrichment(丰容)' on social media channels, 2022-24
- Owning a pet can have a positive influence, and loving pets is also a way of loving oneself
- Graph 4: changes after raising pets, 2024
- The positive effects of pet ownership become more pronounced with the accumulation of experience
- Graph 5: changes after raising pets, by pet ownership experience, 2024
- Owning a dog enforces a daily routine and enhances social skills, while cats make people more tolerant; having both is tough but rewarding
- Graph 6: changes after raising pets, by type of pet, 2024
- The pure love of pets means owners place greater emphasis on the quality of emotional connection and companionship
- New pet care demands
- Market developments and changing perspectives see owners' worry less about their pets' basic needs, but drive an increase in attention to pet-friendly services
- Graph 7: concerns of pet owners, 2021 vs 2024
- Bathing pets and social media sharing are the most frequent pet care occasions, with several new scenarios emerging which engage pets in traditionally human experiences
- Graph 8: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), 2024
- Cleaning demands are very different for cats and dogs
- Graph 9: pet care frequency – cat owners, 2024
- Graph 10: pet care frequency – dog owners, 2024
- Upgrades accelerate in the dog shampoo market, with new products favoured
- Graph 11: new dog shampoo launches and value sales, 2017-2024
- Popular pets KOLs now showcase more diverse personalities
- High-income pet owners drive diverse new pet care scenarios
- Graph 12: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), by monthly personal income, 2024
- New pet care occasions related to evolving demands and public service capability are more concentrated in Tier 1 cities
- Graph 13: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), by city tier, 2024
- New high-frequency pet care scenarios are dominated by post-1990s and post-1960s/70s females
- Graph 14: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), by gender and generation, 2024
- Graph 15: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), by gender and generation, 2024
- Pet training services remain an emerging and niche occasion, primarily driven by pet owners in Tier 1 cities and the post-1990s generation
- Graph 16: pet care frequency – pet training services (tried in the last 12 months), by gender and generation, 2024
- Graph 17: pet care frequency – pet training services (tried in the last 12 months), by city tier, 2024
- Pet training is no longer about teaching obedience, but establishing an equal and loving relationship
- Pet owners may buy/make pet costumes and accessories for social reasons
- Graph 18: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), by changes after raising pets, 2024
- Novice owners participate more frequently in all occasions
- Graph 19: pet care frequency – at least once a month (net), by pet ownership, 2024
- Many innovative products have emerged to improve life with pets
- Graph 20: innovative products for life with pets, 2024
- Owners with progressive views on pet ownership are more willing to use innovative products
- Graph 21: innovative products for life with pets, by concerns of pet owners, 2024
- Dog and cat owners have different priorities when it comes to living with pets
- Graph 22: innovative products for life with pets, by type of pet, 2024
- Selecting and purchasing pet products
- Comprehensive shopping platforms and offline pet stores have become the main channels for pet spending, offering a reliable and convenient one-stop experience
- Graph 23: purchase channels, 2022
- Graph 24: purchase channels, 2024
- A higher proportion of post-1990s and Gen Zs use group-buying ecommerce channels; pet owners in Tier 1 cities are noticeably trading down
- Graph 25: purchase channels – group buying ecommerce platforms, by city tier, 2024
- Graph 26: purchase channels – group buying ecommerce platforms, by generation, 2024
- Intentional spending and strategic quality upgrades drive significant growth in pet meals on Pinduoduo for the Double 11 holiday
- D&L Pets Department Store: a wide range of great products + pet-friendly spaces + imaginative experiences
- Product materials/ingredients are the primary consideration in pet products, followed by brand recognition
- Graph 27: purchasing factors – top factor considered, 2024
- Novice owners consider a wider and more fragmented range of factors and rely more on others' recommendations; experienced owners have clearer needs and know what to focus on
- Graph 28: purchase factors – top three priorities, by pet ownership experience, 2024
- Pet owners with 1-5 years of experience consider reliability, are more conscious of promotions and pay more attention to sales rankings when looking for new products
- Graph 29: purchase factors – top three priorities, by pet ownership experience, 2024
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Issues and insights
- Expand usage occasions in line with the evolution of pet care
- The changing relationship between people and pets leads to heightened pet care demands
- Meeting basic needs: systematic expertise and simple, stress-free choices
- Meeting upgrade demands: cutting-edge scientific concepts and superior ingredients
- Meeting upgrade demands: establish a competitive advantage by capturing mindshare through use of ingredients
- Meet upgrade demands: build a more comprehensive knowledge system for pet wellbeing
- Meeting both basic and upgrade demands: ensure pet wellbeing while satisfying the owner's emotional needs
- Expand cross-category pet care occasions to meet owners' desires for immersive and premium shared experiences
- Demand increases for taking pets out and about, but truly pet-friendly services are lacking
- Create pet-centric experiences
- Establish concrete and detailed rules and guidelines to achieve peaceful co-existence
- Luxury pet pampering products: consider pet wellbeing while making owners happy
- The popularity of outdoor lifestyles could be another way to expand cross-category pet care occasions
- Innovations inspired by cute pet culture
- Cute pets are a universal tonic for the spirit
- Identify synergies and collaborate with popular stickers
- Using cat memes to tell stories of 'lowly' office workers can drive traffic on brand's social media
- Brand resources combined with a little help from consumers make it easy to support strays
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What we think
- Keys to success
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Appendix
- Consumer survey data on pet ownership experience, by age of pet
- Graph 30: pet ownership experience, by age of pet cat/dog, 2024
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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