17 million (59% of) households in the UK have pets. Unsurprisingly, the most common pets are dogs and cats, appearing in 33% and 27% of households respectively, with a combined population of around 25m. An estimated 3.2m homes have acquired new pets during the pandemic, and 38% of these new owners said the experience was just like having a new baby.1
The pet food market is huge and growing, worth £3.2 billion every year, including £1.5bn dog food and £1.2bn cat food.1 64% of cat food shoppers and 53% of dog food owners buy both wet and dry food.7
Pet Owners are Highly Engaged in the Category
73% do research before buying products2
47% plan to buy a particular brand or product2
20% will go to another store if they cannot find what they want
2022 Top Ten Pets
- Dog Owners have an average of 1.43 dogs per household
- Cat owners have an average of 1.64 cats per household
- 11% of UK pet owners have both a cat and a dog7
- 50% of children head straight for their pets when they come home3
- 75% of dog owners prefer the company of their dog to humans3
- 72% of cat and dog owners refer to themselves as mummy and daddy3
- 36% of dog owners say their dog can read their mood3
Merchandising Tips
Shoppers use dog treats across three different format-led need states:
• Bite-sized treats for rewards and training often used multiple times a day
• Sticks and chews for bigger, less frequent rewards
• Large chews as a big reward and for peace and quiet, once or twice a week6
Dog food is segmented by:
• Wet food – cans (multi-serve) and pouches (single-serve)
• Advanced dry food – nutrition and naturals
• Standard dry food – economy and normal nutrition
• Biscuits, treats and chews
Cat food is segmented by:
• Cans
• Standard, premium and luxury pouches
• Advanced nutrition and naturals
• Standard, advanced and natural dry food
• Treats
Make it easy for pet parents to follow a mixed feeding regime by stocking a variety of wet food, dry food and treats.
Provide options that allow pet parents to treat their pet as they would a member of the family.
Sources:
1: PFMA UK
2: Mars Petcare ownership study, 2017, UK market
3: Omnichannel P2P insight (Nielsen)
4: Nielsen Homescan – Total GB – value sales – L52we 27.03.21
5: Proprietary brand manufacturer research (Mars Petcare)
6: Proprietary brand manufacturer research (Barking Heads)
7: Kantar 2020 (via Nestle Purina)
8: Proprietary brand manufacturer research (Nestle Purina)
