Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Robust growth in past and long-term growth momentum unchanged
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- Figure 1: Total retail value sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2015-25
- Figure 2: Total retail volume sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2015-25
- Cat food leads the segment growth
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- Figure 3: Dog and cat food retail value market share, by segment, China, 2017-19
- Impact of COVID-19 on pet food
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- Figure 4: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on pet food, September 2020
- Companies and brands
- Global giants still hold leading positions, but domestic players are catching up
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- Figure 5: Leading companies in dog and cat food market, by value share, 2018-19
- Top claims are about functionality and nutrition
- The consumer
- Both cats and dogs are popular among post-90s generation
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- Figure 6: Pet ownership, May 2020
- Comprehensive shopping websites enjoy most widespread usage
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- Figure 7: Purchase channel, May 2020
- Shifting from regular human food to specialised pet food
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- Figure 8: Usage of dog/cat food, May 2020
- Nutrition is the most influential factor that affects purchase decision
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- Figure 9: Choice factor, May 2020
- Food safety is the top concern
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- Figure 10: Behaviours related to pet food – select items, May 2020
- Attention to holistic wellbeing results in various demand for functionality
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- Figure 11: Interested functions, May 2020
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Reassuring pet owners with transparent product information
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 12: Product examples of Nood, Australia, 2020
- Figure 13: Ingredients source map for Purina Beyond Simply
- Using functional benefits to help boost holistic wellbeing
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 14: Product examples of pet food with immune system claims, UK, South Korea and China, 2020
- Figure 15: Product examples of pet food with functional claims customised for pet age, UK and Japan, 2020
- Focusing on human-pet bond will resonate with pet owners
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 16: Product examples of Sheba Perfect Portions, US, 2020
- Figure 17: Product examples of pet food with innovative flavour and format, Japan, South Korea and Italy, 2019
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Strong growth in both value and volume in the last five years
- New regulations will benefit industry development
- Wet cat food has experienced most robust value growth
Market Size and Forecast
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- Robust growth in the last five years
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- Figure 18: Total retail value sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2015-25
- Figure 19: Total retail volume sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2015-25
- Long-term growth momentum unchanged
Market Drivers
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- Pet ownership is on the rise
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- Figure 20: Concerns towards keeping pets, July 2020
- New regulations will promote industry development
- Evolving attitude towards pets will further increase the usage of pet food
Market Segmentation
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- Dog food still accounts for the majority share
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- Figure 21: Dog and cat food retail value market share, by segment, China, 2017-19
- Figure 22: New launches in the dog food segment, by sub-category, China, 2017-20H1
- Wet cat food achieved the most robust growth
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- Figure 23: New launches in the cat food segment, by sub-category, China, 2017-20H1
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Global giants are strengthening their leading positions
- Domestic brands adopt precision marketing and positioning to break through
- Functionality and nutrition are the major market focus
Market Share
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- Global giants enjoy first movers’ advantage
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- Figure 24: Leading companies in dog and cat food market, by value share, 2018-19
- Domestic players are catching up
Competitive Strategies
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- Mars adopts C2M in product development under partnership with JD
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- Figure 25: Nutro Max grain free recipe series cat food
- Nestlé is expanding production capacity on veterinary diet and wet cat food
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- Figure 26: Purina Pro Plan and Chinese National Geography
- Figure 27: Purina Fancy Feast
- Myfoodie utilises variety shows to increase brand exposure
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- Figure 28: Myfoodie and the popular variety show Back to Field
- Crazy Doggy focuses on value for money and consumer interaction
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- Figure 29: Crazy Doggy pet food products
Who’s Innovating?
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- Functional and nutritional claims dominate new product launches
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- Figure 30: Top 10 claims on new launches in pet food market, China, 2017-20H1
- Ethical claims are on the rise
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- Figure 31: Top 10 increasing claims on new launches in pet food market, China, 2017-20H1
- Figure 32: Product examples of pet food with ethical claims, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, China, 2019-20
- Focusing on fresh pet food
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- Figure 33: Chaoneng Xiaohei provides fresh food subscription
- Cat box subscription with food and more
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- Figure 34: MollyBox themed cat box
- Mooncake gift box for both owners and pets
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- Figure 35: Navarch and Daddy Sweety mooncake gift box for human and pet
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Dry food enjoys both high penetration and usage frequency
- Nutrition is the key in choosing pet food
- Functional benefits are desired in promoting pet’s overall wellbeing
Pet Ownership
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- Dogs enjoy the most popularity, followed by cats
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- Figure 36: Pet ownership, May 2020
- Owning both cats and dogs becomes the new trend
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- Figure 37: Number of cats or dogs, May 2020
- Figure 38: Pet ownership – dog and cat, May 2020
- Owners of less popular pets are more likely to own multiple pets of the same type
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- Figure 39: Pet ownership, May 2020
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- Figure 40: Pet ownership, by gender and age, May 2020
Purchase Channel
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- Comprehensive shopping websites are the most popular channel for dog and cat food
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- Figure 41: Purchase channel, May 2020
- Speciality stores attract affluent pet owners
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- Figure 42: Purchase channel, by monthly personal income, May 2020
- More young pet owners purchase pet food from veterinaries
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- Figure 43: Purchase channel, by age, May 2020
Usage of Dog/Cat Food
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- Pet meals and snacks enjoy high penetration
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- Figure 44: Usage of dog/cat food, May 2020
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- Figure 45: Usage of dog/cat food – very often, by pet type, May 2020
- Homemade pet food may reassure pet owners’ food safety concerns
- Usage of pet supplements are affected by city tier and income level
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- Figure 46: Usage of dog/cat food – pet supplements, by monthly personal income and city tier, May 2020
Choice Factor
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- Nutrition is the top consideration
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- Figure 47: Choice factor, May 2020
- Functionality and naturalness could win consumers’ hearts
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- Figure 48: Choice factor, by pet type, May 2020
- Pet owners aged 30-49 are more sophisticated in pet food selection
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- Figure 49: Repertoire analysis of choice factor, by age, may 2020
- Figure 50: Choice factor – select items, by age, May 2020
Behaviours Related to Pet Food
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- Safety is the primary concern
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- Figure 51: Behaviours related to pet food – select items, May 2020
- Potential usage increase for treat and wet food
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- Figure 52: Behaviours related to pet food – select items, by age, May 2020
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- Figure 53: Purina Felix Play Tubes, UK, 2019
- Preference for foreign brands is not strong
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- Figure 54: Behaviours related to pet food – select items, May 2020
Interested Functions
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- Pet owners pay attention to holistic wellbeing of their pets
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- Figure 55: Interested functions, by pet type, May 2020
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- Figure 56: Repertoire analysis of interested functions, May 2020
- Immunity improvement gains most interest
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- Figure 57: Dr. Holi red ginseng flavoured pet milk, South Korea, 2020
- Digestion health has a key role in pet’s overall health
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- Figure 58: Goldrony Yes Mousse dog snack with goat milk and manuka honey, South Korea, 2019
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- Dogs and cats are more popular pet choice for MinTs
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- Figure 59: Pet ownership, by consumer classification, May 2020
- MinTs most likely to be frequent users of wet food and snacks
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- Figure 60: Usage of dog/cat food, by consumer classification, May 2020
- Less popular functional benefits attract more attention from MinTs
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- Figure 61: Choice factor, by consumer classification, May 2020
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- Figure 62: Interested functions, by consumer classification, May 2020
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 63: Total retail value sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2015-25
- Figure 64: Total retail volume sales and forecast of dog and cat food, China, 2015-25
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Appendix – Market Segmentation
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- Figure 65: Retail value sales of dog and cat food, by segment, China, 2017-19
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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