China Economic Network reporter Han Xiao
As the pet economy continues to heat up, the scale of my country's pet consumer market continues to expand, and related industries are also ushering in a period of development opportunities.
Refined pet health management has become a new trend in pet consumption, driving pet food, pet supplies and other industries to upgrade to intelligence, specialization and diversification.
At the same time, the emotional needs of pet owners are getting more and more attention, and a number of personalized and customized pet services have emerged, adding more vitality to the pet consumer market.
In recent years, the pet consumer market has been very hot.
On the one hand, pets have got rid of their role as housekeepers and caretakers, and have gradually transformed into family members.
On the other hand, consumption that pursues emotional value is becoming more popular, especially the increase in the number of young pet owners, which has brought new consumer demand.
Food upgrades from leftovers to fresh meat staple foods, pet health and care services that focus on emotional communication... Nowadays, markets such as pet food, supplies and medical care are ushering in a stage of rapid development, and the market related to human-pet emotional interaction has also begun bud.
What is the current situation of the pet consumer market, and what are the new trends and trends?
Recently, reporters visited a number of pet consumption-related markets.
Precision feeding spawns diversified markets
Pet food is food made for pets and can be roughly divided into three categories: staple food, snacks and nutritional health products.
As an urgently needed product for pets, pet food occupies half of the pet consumption market. Its characteristics and trends are also regarded as the "vane" for the development of the entire pet industry.
The reporter learned that the cost of "eating" accounts for the main pet-raising expenses of young "poop shovelers".
"Post-90s" "Shanghai Piao" Guo Jinyun has lived in a family with pets since she was a child. After living alone, she got a pet of her own.
"The dog food I often buy is on sale recently, and I bought 60 pounds at once." Guo Jinyun told reporters that her annual dog-raising expenditure exceeds 20,000 yuan, and buying dog food, various snacks and taking her pet to the doctor are the main expenses.
Wang Lanjun, a company employee living in Beijing, owns three orange cats. The average monthly cost of raising cats is about 500 yuan. Daily expenses on pet food account for the "biggest part" of pet ownership consumption. "I buy cat food, canned food and other foods every month." The cost is nearly 400 yuan."
The "China Pet Food Industry White Paper" released by Deloitte China shows that by 2026, the size of China's pet food market is expected to reach 114 billion yuan, of which the compound annual growth rate of pet staple food, pet nutrition products, and pet snacks will reach 17%, 15% and 25%.
The consumption demand for pet food has grown significantly, and the scale of consumption continues to expand, which not only brings about an increase in product sales, but also drives the development of related companies and the entire industry.
The performance forecast released by China Pet Co., Ltd. shows that the net profit in 2023 is expected to be approximately 225 million yuan to 255 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 112% to 141%.
In terms of revenue composition, taking its 2023 semi-annual report as an example, pet food and supplies accounted for 96.37%.
Among them, pet snacks, canned pet food, and pet staple food accounted for 63.57%, 18.10%, and 13.37% respectively.
Data released by Luce Co., Ltd. shows that in 2023, the company is expected to achieve operating income of 696 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26.80%.
In terms of products, the company's revenue from staple food products has increased significantly year-on-year, and products such as jerky and meat powder have also made significant contributions to revenue growth.
As the "post-80s" and "post-90s" generations become the main consumer groups, the consumption demand for pet food has become more refined, personalized and diversified.
"Traditional feeding concepts are gradually changing. Pet owners are paying more and more attention to refined feeding and have put forward higher requirements for product quality, especially in aspects such as naturalness, safety, health and nutrition." Nestlé Purina Pets Greater China Chen Xiaodong, head of food business, said.
Diversified needs have given rise to more segmented markets.
The reporter saw on an e-commerce platform that there are more than 200 brands of cat and dog food to choose from. The product categories not only cover pets of all ages, but can also be subdivided into natural food, grain food, fresh meat food, and freeze-dried food. Grain and other categories.
Some products are even labeled as having the effects of regulating intestinal function, promoting defecation, and helping with body shaping.
The "2023 China Pet Industry Trend Insights White Paper" released by JD.com shows that the market for high-meat content pet products is growing rapidly, with iterative upgrades from grains to meat powder, frozen meat, and fresh meat.
In addition, as a large number of pets are about to enter middle-aged and old age, more than 50% of consumers hope to add bone-protecting ingredients to pet food, and more than 70% of users hope to add ingredients to protect gastrointestinal function in pet food.
Zhang Meng from Chongqing is a consumer who often buys pet nutrition products.
She told reporters that her Bichon Frize has entered old age, so she pays special attention to the quality when choosing dog food. In addition to buying dog food for special age groups, she also adds a lot of nutritional supplements to her pet.
"Five aspects of genetics, nutrition, feeding, environment, and diagnosis and treatment affect the health of pets. Among them, nutrition is a very important factor." Fan Zhijie, head of Watson Vick Bioengineering (Luohe) Co., Ltd., told reporters.
In 2016, an exhibition visit allowed Fan Zhijie, who has been engaged in the animal husbandry industry for more than 10 years, to smell the opportunities for industrial development.
After extensive research, Fan Zhijie switched careers and entered the pet nutrition market.
In his view, as consumers' demands for pet food become increasingly diversified, personalized products developed for pets of different breeds, ages, and health conditions will continue to emerge.
Smart products enrich consumer supply
In addition to urgently needed products such as staple food, snacks, and nutritional products, various daily necessities also occupy an important position in the pet consumer market.
Data released by iiMedia Research shows that the pet products market size is expected to be 44.34 billion yuan in 2024 and will reach 48.4 billion yuan by 2025.
Yan Jinsheng, chairman of Beijing Wangshidai Pet Products Co., Ltd., told reporters that taking cat raising as an example, pet products can be roughly divided into cleaning and care, nest clothing, traction ropes, cages, cat litter, and food bowls according to their functions. kind.
The main channels through which consumers purchase pet supplies are e-commerce platforms, physical pet stores, and pet hospitals.
"Function, appearance, price, durability, etc. are all factors consumers consider when purchasing pet products." Yan Jinsheng said.
In addition, the concept of pet ownership is also profoundly affecting consumer preferences.
For example, in recent times, the concept of standardized pet care has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the sales growth rate of various types of traction ropes and travel backpacks has accelerated significantly.
In the context of continuous upgrading of new technologies and new applications, smart pet-raising equipment has attracted much attention in recent years.
Timed water dispensers, feeding machines, hair blowers that dry the whole body with one click, and cat toilets that automatically shovel poop are very popular among consumers. A variety of products meet the demands of pet owners for intelligent and convenient pet care.
The reporter noticed that in the evaluation of a certain smart cat toilet on the e-commerce platform, many consumers shared their experience of using it, such as "freeing up your hands", "no need to smell the odor", and "no worries when going out".
"Smart pet equipment is still in its infancy, and young people, especially office workers, are currently the main consumers of such products." Zhang Xiaolin, general manager of Shanghai Lianpet Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., said that what consumers value most is the stability of the equipment. and practicality.
In Zhang Xiaolin's view, the development of technologies such as the Internet of Things and WiFi integration, as well as the improvement of mobile phone remote control and data transmission capabilities, are the premise and foundation for the continuous expansion of the smart pet market.
In the future, as the pace of digital intelligence accelerates, smart devices will help realize the full life cycle management and health monitoring of pets. The large amount of pet behavior data generated in this process will also better meet consumers' scientific and refined pet-raising needs. , providing reference for enterprises to carry out technological innovation and product development, and empowering the entire industry to improve quality and upgrade.
Pet products are being upgraded, and purchasing methods are also quietly changing with the increase in digital life application scenarios.
Takeaway rider Li Yan is responsible for the delivery work of Meituan Xiaoxiang Supermarket in Wangjing area, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
According to him, a few years ago, most of the products transported to and from this site were fruits and vegetables.
Nowadays, various products such as cat food and cat litter, pet toys, and hair trimming tools also frequently appear in takeout orders.
Meituan Xiaoxiang Supermarket data shows that in the first two months of this year, Xiaoxiang Supermarket’s pet snack sales increased by 157% compared with the same period last year, and pet bathing product sales increased by 253%.
Taking the cat litter that Li Yan often delivers as an example, sales increased by 36% compared with the same period last year.
Zhou Chunhua, secretary-general of the Pet Industry Branch of the China Animal Husbandry Association, said that the huge potential of the pet consumer market has attracted many small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to enter the industry. At the same time, some leading companies from the Internet, home appliances, consumer goods, medical, agriculture and other industries have also begun to enter the pet industry.
For example, Xiaomi and Midea are investing in the pet home appliance market, and NetEase Yanxuan is focusing on the pet food track.
The entry of these companies has further promoted the growth of the pet industry, extended the industrial chain, and enriched market supply.
The rapid development of the pet consumer market not only benefits from the complete and highly collaborative OEM/ODM industry chain in China, but is also inseparable from the efficiency improvement and cost optimization of supply-side product production, logistics and other links. The entire process of pet consumer products from design to implementation is inseparable. The bar keeps getting lower.
However, product homogeneity also follows.
Industry insiders believe that due to the relatively simple structure of pet products, related companies do not have strong independent design and R&D capabilities and rarely carry out product innovation.
Most brands tend to "make quick money" in rapidly developing industries, focusing on sales and not on R&D and services. As a result, most brands can only "involve" in a low-dimensional stack.
"High quality is the foundation for pet consumer brands to gain a firm foothold in market competition, while technological innovation capabilities determine the upper limit of product quality." Shen Xingmiao, who has long been engaged in cat food research in pet food companies, suggested that relevant brands should explore "scientific research" The collaborative development model of "organization + production enterprise" strengthens technical support and enhances independent research and development capabilities, thereby enhancing the core competitiveness of the enterprise.
Personalized services open up room for growth
Nowadays, emotional resonance has become an important demand of pet owners, and the trend of pets becoming “family members” is becoming more and more obvious.
A single pet service can no longer meet their needs, and more precise, diversified and personalized services have emerged.
For many pet owners, taking their furry children out to eat is a big problem.
Most public dining places explicitly prohibit pets from entering due to safety and hygiene considerations.
As the demand for traveling with pets increases, some catering companies have also begun to explore the construction of pet-friendly restaurants.
For example, the fast food company Pizza Hut has opened 20 pet-friendly themed stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xi'an and other cities. It has set up pet signs, pet-friendly seats and other facilities outside the stores, hoping to attract customers in this way. Gather more pet lovers to the store.
In addition to dining out, "taking your pet to see the world" is a unique experience for pet owners.
But compared with ordinary travel services, pet travel is definitely a niche market.
Traveling with pets often faces many barriers such as transportation, accommodation, and access to scenic spots.
Meng Jin, a senior pet owner, has many years of experience in travel agencies. Since 2008, she began to organize and explore specialized pet travel services.
In 2016, she established a pet travel company, Pet Travel, focusing on building a pet-raising community. The core user group is people who love pets and like to travel with pets.
Meng Jin told reporters that under the protection of pet insurance services, the company cooperates with airlines to plan charter flights and operate offline pet parks to create a friendly pet communication environment and help users solve the pain points of pet travel.
So far, the company has accumulated nearly 150,000 active users, mainly distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, with an average customer price of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan.
Although the life of a pet is short, it is similar to the life of a human being. It has emotional and spiritual needs, as well as the process of "birth, old age, sickness and death".
"Consumers are paying more and more attention to pet health. There is a lot of content about pet medical and health care on online social platforms, which to a certain extent affects consumers' consumption in this area." Wang Xue, who works at a pet hospital in Beijing, has With 20 years of experience in the industry, in her opinion, today's consumers have a stronger sense of responsibility and will take the initiative to take their pets for medical treatment and health care, such as regular deworming, vaccinations, physical examinations, etc. The average annual cost is more than a thousand yuan, and pet owners are also more Recognize this part of the investment.
In her hospital, nearly 10,000 pets of all types are received and served every year.
Wang Xue told reporters that since pet medical institutions generally need to be responsible for their own profits and losses, some institutions have excessive medical treatment in order to make profits.
However, with the rise of the Internet economy, pet medical institutions are paying more and more attention to word-of-mouth, and consumers tend to choose reputable institutions for treatment. As the information gap is gradually broken, the doctor-patient contradiction in pet medical treatment is gradually declining, and consumption The experience of bringing pets to the hospital has been improved.
The "2023-2024 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumption Report)" shows that the number of pet dogs in my country will be 51.75 million in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 1.1%, and the number of pet cats will be 69.8 million, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%.
As a large number of pets gradually enter their old age, pet funeral and hospice care have become important issues for pet owners, and the industry of managing pets' "posthumous affairs" is also gradually emerging.
The reporter checked the QiChacha platform and found that there were 4,965 companies whose business scope included "pet funerals", of which 4,407 were established within five years.
In terms of pet hospice care, the services currently provided in the market are already very sophisticated.
According to the promotional materials of a pet funeral company located in Chengdu, for deceased pets, the company can provide full-process services such as special car transportation, grooming, exclusive hospice, farewell ceremony, cremation, canning, and customized exclusive souvenirs.
While personalized and customized pet services continue to emerge, we must also note that some pet services, including the pet hospice industry chain, still need to be improved. Some service items lack norms and standards, and the level of employees is uneven. Consumers Rights and interests are difficult to protect.
Zhou Chunhua believes that the current pet consumption habits and trends show that people are increasingly caring for their pets and pay more and more attention to their health and emotional needs, which has also caused the pet economy to continue to heat up.
However, the development of related industries must be carried out within the framework of laws, regulations and ethical standards, and policy supervision should also be continuously followed up to allow the pet consumer market to continue to develop healthily and build a harmonious and friendly pet-raising environment.