**1. The market scale continues to expand, and the growth rate leads the sub-segment track**
From 2021 to 2024, the scale of China's pet products market increased from **25.4 billion yuan** to **44.37 billion yuan**, with an annual compound growth rate of **14.7%**, significantly higher than the global average. Although the growth rate slowed down temporarily in 2023 due to the impact of the economic environment, it returned to the upward channel in 2024, accounting for **12.4%** of the total size of the pet consumption market, second only to food (52.8%) and medical care (28.0%). Driving factors include the number of urban pets exceeding **124 million** (2024), and the increase in the average annual consumption of a single pet (2961 yuan for dogs and 2020 yuan for cats).
**2. Intelligence and subdivided categories lead consumption upgrades**
Smart products have become the fastest growing track, with a market size of **10.2 billion yuan** in 2024, a growth rate of **92%**, and the penetration rate of smart water dispensers, feeders and health monitoring equipment has increased. At the same time, the demand for categories is obviously differentiated:
- **Right-need categories** (traction ropes, cat litter, urine pads) have grown steadily due to the strengthening of urban pet-raising policies;
- **Optional categories** (clothing, toys) are driven by young pet owners to upgrade to high-end and environmentally friendly, such as the increase in demand for products made of degradable materials;
- **Washing and cleaning products** have a prominent trend of refinement, and "specific parts cleaning/no-wash" products have the leading growth rate.
**3. Channel diversification and the rise of domestic brands**
Consumer channels present a pattern of "offline franchise dominance and online live broadcast explosion":
- **Offline channels** account for 57.6% (mainly pet stores/hospitals), and the service premium in first-tier cities is significant (for example, the daily fee for pet grooming in Jinan is nearly 1,000 yuan);
- **Online e-commerce** accounts for 34.8%, and the sales of the Douyin platform will increase by **65%** year-on-year in 2024, and live broadcasting will promote high-frequency purchases.
Domestic brands dominate with cost-effectiveness and innovation. **90% of the TOP50 brands are Chinese companies** (such as Crazy Puppy, NetEase Yanxuan), and pet owners' preference for domestic brands has risen to **34.8%** (cat products).
**4. Rational consumption and future challenges**
In 2024, pet owners' behavior will show a shift to "practicality first": **32.2%** of users only consider practical products, and their attention to material safety and cost-effectiveness has increased. However, the industry still faces pain points:
- Homogeneous competition intensifies, with more than **88,000 new companies in 2024**, and low market concentration;
- Smart devices are not stable enough, and consumer complaints are mostly concentrated on high failure rates and complex operations;
- The penetration rate of medical-related needs (such as anthelmintics) is insufficient, and the synergy with supplies needs to be improved.
> The smart ecology of a cat reflects the emotional projection and consumption rationality of Chinese families.
Future industry growth needs to rely on technology upgrades (such as AI health monitoring) and penetration into the sinking market, while balancing the dual needs of "emotional consumption" and "pragmatism", so as to anchor new coordinates in the 300 billion pet economy wave.
Written by: Luna
2025.6.26
