People’s interest in and dedication to keeping pets at home have been rising in China and owners tend to see pets as their friends or even children, which drives the pet humanisation trend. Owners’ willingness to spend more money on a wider range of pet-related categories has been increasing. However, the pet industry still has a long way to go before reaching maturity, meaning that new players and innovative products and services will come out increasingly faster in the near future.

This Report illustrates how pet ownership has been changed in China as well as drivers and challenges behind the evolvement and accordingly identifies relevant and powerful emotions that brands could leverage to resonate with pet owners in their marketing communications. This Report also explores which pet-related business represents more financial potential and which information channels can be more beneficial to brands.

The Report covers household pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, fish, birds, rodents and reptiles.

Three types of pet owners are defined based on experience:

• Expert level pet owners: those whose pet ownership experience is five years or more.

• Experienced pet owners: those whose pet ownership experience is more than one year but less than five years.

• New pet owners: those whose pet ownership experience is one year or less.

Three types of pet owners are defined based on monthly household income:

• Low household income: RMB = 5,000-9,999 in tier one cities, or RMB = 4,000-7,999 in tier two and three cities.

• Middle household income: RMB = 10,000-15,999 in tier one cities, or RMB = 8,000-13,999 in tier two and three cities.

• High household income: RMB >= 16,000 in tier one cities, or RMB >= 14,000 in tier two and three cities.