Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Slow, steady growth continues
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of pet food, at current prices, 2012-22
- Pet specialty and mass merchandisers lead the pack
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- Figure 2: Pet food purchase location, April 2017
- Apart from price, motivations similar for specialty and online shoppers
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- Figure 3: Reasons for purchase location, by most often retailer, April 2017
- The opportunities
- Younger shoppers are price-driven but also interested in natural and organic
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- Figure 4: Pet food purchase factors – Dog or cat food, by age, April 2017
- Untapped opportunity for incremental sales with treats and toppers
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- Figure 5: Pet feeding behaviors, April 2017
- Pet specialty customers enjoy shopping for their pets
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- Figure 6: Pet food attitudes, by most often retailer, April 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Slow, steady growth continues
- Treats outpace both dog and cat food
Market Size and Forecast
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- Slow, steady growth continues
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- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of pet food, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 8: Total US sales and forecast of pet food, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- Dog food accounts for nearly half of category sales
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- Figure 9: Share of pet food sales, by segment, 2017 (est)
- Treats outpace both dog and cat food
- Minimal gains for other pet food
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- Figure 10: Sales of pet food, by segment, 2012-17
Market Factors
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- Pet ownership grows slowly
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- Figure 11: Number of pet-owning households, 2006-16
- Growth comes mostly from dog ownership
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- Figure 12: Number of households who own pets, by pet type, 2006-16
- Dogs continue as Americans’ preferred pets
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- Figure 13: Type of pet owned, April 2017
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Treats gain ground
- Small dog market continues to grow
- Value and mid-tier brands squeezed as shoppers shift to premium
- Freeze-drying makes raw food accessible
Company and Brand Sales of Pet Food
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- Nestlé loses share but stays on top
- Small-dog brand Cesar lifts Mars
- Smucker moves to strengthen its position in premium grocery tier
- Sales of pet food by company
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- Figure 14: Sales of pet food, by company, 2016 and 2017
What’s Working?
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- Treats gain ground
- Small-dog market continues to grow
- Frozen/refrigerated small but growing in grocery
- Blue Buffalo gains on mainstream positioning, expands into mass
What’s Struggling?
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- Value and mid-tier brands squeezed as shoppers shift to premium
What’s Next?
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- Freeze-drying makes raw food accessible
- Meal kits go to the dogs
- Beyond made in the USA – pet foods highlight regional, local
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Pet specialty and mass merchandisers lead the pack
- Apart from price, motivations similar for specialty and online shoppers
- Price tops other factors for both cat and dog food
- Untapped opportunity for incremental sales with treats and toppers
- Pet owners want the best, but express skepticism of pet food claims
Where Pet Food is Purchased
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- Pet specialty and mass merchandisers lead the pack
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- Figure 15: Pet food purchase location, April 2017
- Younger pet owners gravitate to pet specialty and mass merchandisers
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- Figure 16: Pet food purchase location – Most often purchase, by age, April 2017
- Dog owners more likely to shop pet specialty
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- Figure 17: Pet food purchase location – Most often purchase, by type of pet owned, April 2017
Reasons for Purchase Location
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- Location and prices drive retailer selection
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- Figure 18: Reasons for purchase location, April 2017
- Apart from price, similar motivations for specialty and online shoppers
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- Figure 19: Reasons for purchase location, by most often retailer, April 2017
- In their words
Pet Food Attribute Importance
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- Price tops other factors for both cat and dog food
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- Figure 20: Pet food purchase factors, April 2017
- Younger shoppers price-driven but also interested in natural and organic
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- Figure 21: Pet food purchase factors – Dog or cat food, by age, April 2017
- Pet specialty and online shoppers less focused on price
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- Figure 22: Pet food purchase factors – Dog or cat food, by most often retailer, April 2017
Pet Feeding Behaviors
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- Untapped opportunity for incremental sales with treats and toppers
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- Figure 23: Pet feeding behaviors, April 2017
- Similar behaviors for specialty and online shoppers
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- Figure 24: Pet feeding behaviors, by most often retailer, April 2017
Pet Food Attitudes
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- Pet owners want the best, but express skepticism of pet food claims
- In their words: reasons for changing pet foods
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- Figure 25: Pet food attitudes, April 2017
- Pet specialty customers enjoy shopping for their pets
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- Figure 26: Pet food attitudes, April 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 27: Total US sales and forecast of pet food, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 28: Total US retail sales and forecast of cat food, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 29: Total US retail sales and forecast of dog food, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 30: Total US retail sales and forecast of other pet food, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 31: Total US retail sales and forecast of pet treats, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 32: Total US retail sales of pet food, by channel, at current prices, 2012-17
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 33: MULO sales of cat food, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 34: MULO sales of dog food, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 35: MULO sales of other pet food, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 36: MULO sales of pet treats food, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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