How large is the pet care market in China?

Dogs may be "man's best friends," but they are also proving to be big buddies of the multibillion-yuan pet-care industry in China.

Last year, the so-called "pet economy" in China was valued at 170.8 billion yuan (US$25.2 billion), up 27 percent from a year earlier, according to an industry white paper.

China Merchants Securities estimates that the industry will exceed 400 billion yuan in value by 2020, with a compound an annual growth rate of 33 percent.

There's no end of what we will do to pamper our pet dogs and cats. Toys to play with. Beds to sleep in. Clothes to wear. Tools to groom. And don't forget veterinary visits, dog obedience classes and pet food.

Who are raising pets in China?

An estimated 74 million urban dwellers have pets in China. That was equal to about 9 percent of China's non-migrant urban population last year.

They are forecast to spend 2,048 yuan per pet by 2020, double the figure in 2015. That's still below the average figure in many Western countries.

27.3% Aquatics
30.7% Cats
46.1% Dogs
19.4% Reptiles
17.3% Rodents

Overview of

Pet-care products industry

Mars and Nestle are two of the big global players in China's pet products market. Mars started its China pet business in 1989 and set up the first pet-food factory in China in 1995. Nestle started plying pet products here in 2002.

Food is just part of the hype of the pet-care industry. Also on sale are products such as automatic pet feeders and "smart" pet food bowls.

Pet owners can use apps via mobile phone to see how much their pet is eating. There are also pet clothes, leashes and birthday cakes on the market.

In the digital age, online sales of pet-care products are rising.

About 50% of consumers buying pet food online are 30 or younger

Mars said that its products are sold on most of e-commerce platforms. The company has partnerships with sales platforms Tmall and JD.com. During the “Double 11” shopping event last November, Mars Petcare said it added a record 78,000 pet owners.

Loic Moutault, president of Royal Canin, said the Chinese team offered discounts on the day and live-streamed information on how to take care of puppies and kittens.

"It was a combination of education and promotion,” he said. “In 2017, sales exceeded 90 million yuan in one day."

The man behind a box

Ju Yi, 28, is now an owner of a company with more than 30 employees and more than 10 cats. Founded in 2015, the company features specialized services for cats and dogs. With his love for pets, this young boy has expanded a brand-new pet market in China.

Ju launched their signature product "MollyBox" in 2017. It is a box containing cat food, snacks, toys and living goods. The sales model is subscription-based: Customers pay a certain amount of money, and receive a box every month. The box has different prices, but each of them is entirely customized for each pet according to the information provided by their owners.

In the past three years, Ju succeeded in developing his company to a considerable scale. But when talking about the history, he didn’t think there was many difficulties.

Our furry friends make life just that much better

Take a look at the pets raised by Shanghai Daily's staff, and click to see what they think about their loved ones.

Wu Huiqi, Administration<br /><br /> Pets: a dog and a cat<br /> Sex: both male<br /> Breed: French bulldog and Canadian Hairless<br /> Name: Harley and Beerus<br /> Age: both about 1 year old <br /><br /> Average spending: dog 1,400 yuan/month and cat 1,100 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I spend about 2,500 yuan on them monthly. The most expensive item I have bought for them is a cat tree. That costs me 2,800 yuan, but Beerus like it very much."
Andy Boreham, New media<br /><br /> Pet: dog<br /> Sex: female<br /> Breed: Pomeranian<br /> Name: Buding (Pudding)<br /> Age: 3 months old<br /><br /> Average spending: 300 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I once bought six cans of different powders that purport to make her fur healthier, keep her breath fresh, kill harmful bacteria in her gut, and a bunch of other things. In the end, though, the powders just give her diarrhea. They cost me a grand total of 1,500 yuan which, in retrospect, was a total waste. "
Li Anlan, Features<br /><br /> Pets: cats<br /> Sex: male and female<br /> Breed: Domestic Shorthair<br /> Name: Jupiter and Leda<br /> Age: 2 years old and 10 months old<br /><br /> Average spending: 1,500 yuan/month<br /><br /> "Feeding higher quality foods can reduce health problems, the money saved on food is likely to go into medical bills eventually. I once spent 1,600 yuan when Jupiter was diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis, that included blood works, fluid infusion and medications."
Zhang Long, Features<br /><br /> Pet: cat <br /> Sex: male<br /> Breed: American shorthair<br /> Name: Muli (Oyster)<br /> Age: 16 months old<br /><br /> Average spending: 900 yuan/month<br /><br /> "We might take Muli to visit the vet again as he has sexually matured, and he has been acting like crazy around the house, like chewing our phone cables and scratching the sofa incessantly."
Wang Xinzhou, New media<br /><br /> Pet: cat<br /> Sex: female<br /> Breed: Domestic Shorthair<br /> Name: Dickie<br /> Age: 3 years old<br /><br /> Average spending: 500 yuan/month<br /><br /> "The most expensive thing I have bought for her is an automatic cat litter box, which costs more than 1,000 yuan. However, it is not easy to use, and Dickie prefers a normal litter box anyway."
Lorra Liu Taoying, Marketing<br /><br /> Pet: cat<br /> Sex: female<br /> Breed: British Shorthair<br /> Name: Feifei<br /> Age: 14 months old<br /><br /> Average spending: 1,500 yuan/month<br /><br /> "Among all the things she uses, the most expensive is her nest, which has a remote temperature control, worth 799 yuan. "
Huang Yixuan, Business<br /><br /> Pet: cat <br /> Sex: female<br /> Breed: Domestic Shorthair<br /> Name: Zizi<br /> Age: 2 years old<br /><br /> Average spending: 800 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I bought an automatic pet feeder which can be controlled remotely to ensure her regular dining as I sometimes get home late. Together with a water fountain and a self-cleaning cat litter box, they cost me about 2,000 yuan."
Shen Ke, New media<br /><br /> Pet: cat<br /> Sex: male<br /> Breed: Ragdoll<br /> Name: Zorro<br /> Age: 2 years old<br /><br /> Average spending: 1,000 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I send him to a regular pet shop about once a month for a bath, hair trimming and nail cutting, once every three months for deworming. "
Yang Wenjie, Features<br /><br /> Pets: cats <br /> Sex: male <br /> Breed: domestic shorthair/ longhair <br /> Name: Momo/ Lulu<br /> Age: 2 years old and 1.5 years old<br /><br /> Average spending: 1,000 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I bought them costumes, but then I gave up using them. Cats are free souls! And the most expensive thing with cats is that when you have one, you want another one."
Yang Yang, Supplements<br /><br /> Pet: cat<br /> Sex: female<br /> Breed: Ragdoll<br /> Name: Snow Baby<br /> Age: 1 year old<br /><br /> Average spending: 550 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I bought her a luxurious cat house that cost 2,460 yuan this year. People might think the house a bit costly, but I want my cat to know I am doing my best to raise her, just like many parents. "
Zhong Youyang, New media<br /><br /> Pet: chinchilla<br /> Sex: female<br /> Breed: Grey, Shorthair<br /> Name: Xiao Hui<br /> Age: 5 years old<br /><br /> Average spending: 160 yuan/month<br /><br /> "I need to turn on the air-conditioner 24 hours a day in summer to keep the temperature below 25 degrees Celcius, because chinchillas are very sensitive to temperature. "