“The Chinese pet food market is rapidly growing, with opportunities in wet staple food with functional claims and an emphasis on the emotional connection through pet snack interactions. As pets are considered family members, their overall wellbeing and shared life experiences with owners hold significant importance in both product development and market communications.”
– Bernie Gao, Research Analyst
This Report looks at the following areas:
- Future market outlook and growth prospects in the next five years.
- Competitive landscape of pet food market.
- Latest new product trends and growth opportunities.
- Consumers’ expectations of the functional claims and the format of pet food.
- Purchase plans in the future and notable factors to warrant a higher price point.
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Overview
- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Covered in this Report
- Definition
- Excluded
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Executive Summary
- The market
- Figure 1: Total retail value sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2018-28
- Companies and brands
- International giants extend their business, while local players focus on private brand building
- Figure 2: Leading companies in dog and cat food market, by value share, China, 2021 and 2022
- Growing innovation focus on naturalness and functionality
- The consumer
- Canned staple foods see increased role in daily consumption
- Figure 3: Consumption frequency, China, 2023
- Balancing online convenience with offline credibility
- Figure 4: Purchasing channels, China, 2023
- Equally upgrade willingness throughout the pet food categories
- Figure 5: Trading up and down, China, 2023
- ‘Natural ingredients’ is the most appealing factor for pet owners
- Figure 6: Trading up factors, China, 2023
- Staple food is expected to help weight control, while supplements are preferred to deliver most functions
- Figure 7: Format preference for functional benefits, China, 2023
- The positive perception of private label has intensified the competitive landscape
- Figure 8: Consumer behaviour – brand and product choices, China, 2023
- What we think
- The market
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Issues and Insights
- Wet staple food can be differentiated with functional benefits
- The facts
- The implications
- Figure 9: New products launched in pet food, by share of wet pet food, selected markets, 2018-23
- Figure 10: Examples of wet pet food with functional claim, Global, 2022-23
- Delightful pet snacks bring emotional bonding to pets and owners
- The facts
- The implications
- Figure 11: Examples of pet snacks, China, 2023
- Figure 12: Example of interactive feeder for cats, US, 2023
- Humanised products can be further explored under various occasions
- The facts
- The implications
- Figure 13: Example of themed sharing activities for pet owners on social media, China, 2023
- Figure 14: Examples of pet food provided at foodservice, South Africa, 2022
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- Figure 15: Word cloud on social channels* associated with ‘Pet menu (宠物菜单)’, 2023
- Figure 16: Examples of pet food for travelling, China and Spain, 2023
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The Market
- Prosperous market driven by increased product quality
- Figure 17: Total retail value sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2018-28
- Figure 18: Total retail volume sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2018-28
- Prosperous market driven by increased product quality
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Market Segmentation
- Wet cat food keeps expanding
- Figure 19: Dog and cat food retail value market share, by segment, China, 2020-22
- Figure 20: New products launched in pet food, by sub-category, China, 2020-22
- Wet cat food keeps expanding
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Market Factors
- Local production of pet food saw rapid growth
- Figure 21: New products launched in pet food, by share of imported products, China, 2018-22
- eCommerce further expedite industry development
- Figure 22: Example of pet food products on-demand delivery service, China, 2023
- Livestreaming stimulates pet food purchasing
- Figure 23: Screenshots of livestreaming, China, 2023
- Local production of pet food saw rapid growth
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Market Share
- Leading players use acquisition and business extension to strengthen their positions
- Figure 24: Leading companies in dog and cat food market, by value share, China, 2021 and 2022
- Successful transformation from OEM to private label
- Leading players use acquisition and business extension to strengthen their positions
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Marketing Activities
- Transformation from products to services for pets’ total wellbeing
- Figure 25: Screenshot of Royal Canin’s mini-program, China, 2023
- Figure 26: Picture of nutrition guide for pets from Purina Institute, US, 2023
- Re-emphasise pet’s natural eating habits to position products
- Figure 27: Poster of BARF pet food from Myfoodie, China, 2023
- Utilising mini-program to engage consumers
- Figure 28: Screenshots of Royal Canin WeChat mini-program, China, 2023
- Figure 29: Screenshots of Acana WeChat mini-program, China, 2023
- Transformation from products to services for pets’ total wellbeing
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New Product Trends
- Suitable for, natural and functional claims receive more attention in NPD
- Figure 30: New products launched in pet food, by top 11 claim categories, China, 2018/19-2022/23
- Figure 31: New products launched in pet food, by top 11 claims, China, 2018/19-2022/23
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- Figure 32: Examples of new pet food products with natural and functional claim, China, 2023
- Prosperous development in private-label offerings
- Figure 33: New products launched in pet food, by share of private label and branded products, China, 2020/21-2022/23
- Figure 34: Examples of products from NetEase Tian Cheng, China, 2022
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- Figure 35: Picture of signing ceremony, NetEase Tian Cheng and China Agricultural University, China, 2023
- Niche meat can be a selling point for new products
- Figure 36: Examples of pet food products with niche meat, China, 2022-23
- Fresh pet food – advanced products from global market
- Figure 37: Examples of fresh pet food from Freshpet, US, 2023
- Figure 38: Screenshot of the webpage for self-formulated pet food, US, 2023
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- Figure 39: Examples of meal plans, US, 2023
- Suitable for, natural and functional claims receive more attention in NPD
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Consumption Frequency
- Frozen-dried and canned wet staple foods gain more popularity
- Figure 40: Consumption frequency, China, 2023
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- Figure 41: Consumption frequency – Once a day or more, China, 2022 and 2023
- Wet staple foods can be sub-categorised to specific lifestages of pets
- Figure 42: Consumption frequency – Selected items, by household income levels, China, 2023
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- Figure 43: Consumption frequency – Once a day or more, by pet’s age, China, 2023
- Post-90s pet owners migrate their snacking habits to pets
- Figure 44: Consumption frequency – Once a day or more, snack/treat, by generation, China, 2023
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- Figure 45: Consumption plans for more expensive pet snacks – From the same brands vs different brands, by generation, China, 2023
- Frozen-dried and canned wet staple foods gain more popularity
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Purchasing Channels
- Online purchasing habits of pet food are well established
- Figure 46: Purchasing channels, China, 2023
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- Figure 47: TURF analysis – Purchasing channels, China, 2023
- Multi-generation families value elevated convenience and efficient communication
- Figure 48: Purchasing channels – Selected items, by living situation, China, 2023
- High household income earners still enjoy offline experiences
- Figure 49: Purchasing channels – Offline channels, by gender, China, 2023
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- Figure 50: Purchasing channels – Offline channels, by household income level, China, 2023
- Online purchasing habits of pet food are well established
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Trading Up and Down
- Trading up opportunities can be seen in all pet food sub-categories
- Figure 51: Trading up and down, China, 2023
- Differentiate premiumisation focus based on household income
- Figure 52: Trading up and down – Pet snacks, by consumers who plan to buy more expensive staple food, China, 2023
- Figure 53: Trading up and down – Supplements, by consumers who plan to buy more expensive staple food, China, 2023
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- Figure 54: Trading up and down – Staple food and snacks, buying more expensive products, by household income level and city tier, China, 2023
- Targeting new pet owners without fixed snack feeding routine
- Figure 55: Trading up and down – Pet snacks, by petting experience, China, 2023
- Trading up opportunities can be seen in all pet food sub-categories
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Trading Up Factors
- Resonate with high earners by highlighting natural ingredients and scientific formulas
- Figure 56: Trading up factors, China, 2023
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- Figure 57: Trading up factors – Selected options, by household income level, China, 2023
- Premiumisation directions should be varied for pet owners of different ages
- Figure 58: Trading up factors, by selected item and age, China, 2023
- Resonate with high earners by highlighting natural ingredients and scientific formulas
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Format Preference for Functional Benefits
- Weight management is the most wanted function for staple food
- Figure 59: Format preference for functional benefits, China, 2023
- Consumers with longer petting experience expect multifunctional products
- Figure 60: Format preference for functional benefits – Selected items, by petting experience, China, 2023
- Functional snacks can better cater to low-income households
- Figure 61: Format preference for selected functional benefits – Pet snack/treat, by household income level, China, 2023
- Weight management is the most wanted function for staple food
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Consumer Behaviour
- Domestic brands or locally produced products gain more recognition
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- Figure 62: Consumer behaviour – Brand and product choices, China, 2023
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- Figure 63: Consumer behaviour – Brand and product choices, by household income, China, 2023
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- Figure 64: Consumer behaviour – Compared to different brands of pet foods, I prefer to buy pet food from fixed brands, by pet’s age, China, 2023
- Concerns about pets’ eating habits deserve attention
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- Figure 65: Consumer behaviour – Pets’ eating habits, by gender and household income level, China, 2023
- Evolving feeding habits inspire new product development
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- Figure 66: Consumer feeding behaviour, China, 2023
- Pet supplements become a ‘necessary’ part to pet’s diet
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- Figure 67: Consumer behaviour about supplement feeding, China, 2023
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Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 68: Total retail value sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2018-28
- Figure 69: Total retail volume sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2018-28
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Appendix – Market Segmentation
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- Figure 70: Retail value sales of dog and cat food, by segment, China, 2020-22
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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