Euromonitor International 2025: everything for your pet!

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/5.

Top trends in pet care

Premiumisation, with humanisation: the steady rise in demand for premium pet food and pet care products is driven by the growing desire of pet owners to provide their pets with humanised care. The market for functional foods, special dietary solutions and products available on veterinary recommendation will grow rapidly between 2024 and 2029. Affordability and the expansion of private labels: the pet food market is increasingly polarised between premium and price-sensitive consumers. The growth of the premium segment is due to the fact that some shoppers aren’t willing to compromise on quality. At the same time private label and regional brands are becoming increasingly popular among price-sensitive consumers, because they offer good value for money. The rise of e-commerce, with subscription models: e-commerce is the fastest growing sales channel in the pet care market, growing at a rate of 23% between 2019 and 2024. Social commerce and quick commerce – which make fast and convenient shopping possible – are also playing an important role in sales.

Ethical consumption: in pet care the role of sustainability is becoming more important, but the market share of sustainable products is still small. Brands are trying to meet sustainability needs through various innovations, e.g. plant-based dog food, cultured meat substitutes. All for the cat?: the global dog food and cat food markets will grow at different speeds between 2022 and 2024, depending on price category. In most cases the mid-priced and premium segments will perform best. Smart devices for mental and physical well-being: the demand for products and services for the physical and mental well-being of pets is growing significantly. The market for smart collars and behaviour monitoring devices is expanding.

Sales channels and the future

Traditional retail channels still play an important role in the pet care market, but buying habits are changing. Consumers use multiple channels in parallel: they don’t necessarily buy the product where they first come across it. This phenomenon is challenging brands and retailers to be present in every channel and provide the right shopping experience. Traditional grocery stores remain the biggest sales channel on the pet food market, but demand for premium and specialised products is driving consumers towards specialty shops. In this highly competitive environment lots of innovative solutions are appearing on the scene. The future of the market is likely to be shaped by digitalisation, sustainability and the availability of premium products. AI-based solutions and health data tracking will play a bigger role in the future of pet care. //