What’s driving China’s next-generation pet owners?

The pet industry in China is booming, driven by increased product purchasing and changing views of pets. Data from the Chinese e-commerce giant offers a closer look at consumer behavior, revealing a fast-growing demand for specialized products alongside the effects of emotional bonds on sales.

Reasons for having a pet

According to a recent survey conducted by JD.com among 1,000 respondents, pets in China are increasingly likely to be treated as part of the family. Almost 60% of them say they regard their pets as close relatives.

Seeking emotional value is given as the main reason for keeping a pet, with more than 80% of owners having pets to prevent them from being lonely, while more than 40% do so to relieve boredom.

Retail channel preferences

When asked to name other retail channels they use to buy pet food and supplies besides general platforms such as JD.com, the main answers given by the survey respondents are specialized pet web shops and offline stores. Respondents to the survey are less likely to buy from their vets.

On the other side, they are highly responsive to online promotions and discounts. While more than 60% of them buy the food and supplies they need at least once a month, 54% stock up on goods when there is a sales promotion.

The typical amount a Chinese pet consumer spends per transaction is between ¥100 ($14/€12) and ¥300 ($42/€36), with almost 53% of the respondents indicating this when asked. More than 17% of the respondents say they spend more, while some 30% spend less.

Pet food choices

In the past year, pet food sales on the JD.com platform have accounted for 60% of its total pet product sales. The number of pet food buyers shows substantial growth compared to the previous year: +39% for dog food and +48% for cat food.

Sales of senior dog food on the platform have increased significantly, and in 2024 they rose by 67% compared to the previous year, and the number of transactions increased by 87% year on year. The related keywords search also increased by 62%.

The survey findings show that owners’ pet food choices are, in general, based on specific age, breed and body type (63%), brand (62%), ingredients (61%) and functional properties like helping digestion (51%), followed by price (38%) and packaging (33%).

Combining dry with wet

Although the largest proportion of pet food transactions are still dry products – for cats 54% and dogs 60% – the year-on-year sales volume of wet food increased by more than 260%. Despite this growth, dog wet food only accounts for 3% of dog food transactions, while cat wet food represents 11%.

Over 80% of the respondents combine dry food with wet food. Overall, the primary rationales for both dog and cat owners buying wet food are because the pet enjoys eating it, for enhancing nutrition, to replenish water and to use it to interact with their pet.

Plant-based cat litter

Cat litter accounts for nearly 60% of JD.com sales in pet cleaning products, with the number of cat litter users growing by 44% in the past year. The 2 main reasons for purchasing a particular cat litter product are the type of litter and the brand.

Within the segment, plant-based cat litter is increasingly popular, because of its non-stick, water-absorbing and clumping properties. Sales have rocketed in the past year, with a growth rate of 307%. And the search volume for cassava cat litter has increased by a factor of 10 year on year.

Pet parents on the move

A high proportion of sales in the pet travel supplies category is, understandably, accounted for by leashes and harnesses: almost 50%. But other outdoor accessories, including bark control devices, are also performing well, with sales growing by 58% year on year and the potential to grow further as more products are launched.

There is an interesting trend in anthropomorphic products too. With pets seen as family members who might need special care, pet strollers can be a solution.

Search volume for these increased by 68% in the past year, with transaction volume increasing by more than a factor of 10.

Reptiles on the rise

Aquarium and bird product sales are firmly at numbers 1 and 2 of exotic pet sales, with substantial rises year on year, but products for reptiles are currently showing the highest growth rate. There are significant differences between owners of different types of exotic pets when it comes to the types of products purchased at JD.com.

The majority of reptile and aquarium sales in the past year were supplies rather than food, approximately 80% vs 20%, whereas for rodents, birds and rabbits, food and supplies are sold in roughly equal proportions, with slightly more food than supplies for birds and rabbits.

Demographics and social media

Sales data shows that the under-25s buy more products for small or exotic pets, while older pet owners buy more aquarium products. Owners of exotic and aquarium pets give different motivations for wanting to have their particular type of pet than cat and dog owners. Most of the respondents in the survey say they have them for social expression and content creation, followed by an expression of their personality and aesthetics. 

Demand for smart products

The fast-growing technology sector also benefits the pet industry in China. JD.com has noticed this too, with search volume for smart pet products increasing significantly in the past year, particularly for pet air purifiers (+202%) and cameras (+128%), but also for dryers and collars.

As a reason for buying smart pet products, 68% of the survey respondents say they want to improve efficiency and reduce their daily care burden. 65% of them want to use these innovative products for remote care.

There remains room for product improvement, as users also expose many of the pain points after purchasing innovative products. The biggest problems respondents encounter are systems that don’t link with other systems or apps, and pets being scared of the product or uncooperative.

Cats vs dogs

According to the 2025 China Pet Industry White Paper, sales of dog and cat products in urban areas in China grew by an average CAGR of 10% between 2021 and 2024, from ¥206.5 billion ($29B/€24.7B) to ¥300.2 billion ($42.2B/€35.9B). Cat products have seen the fastest growth, with a CAGR of 13%. This marks a significant growth from 43% of the revenue to 48% over the 4-year period, due to a 10% increase in the cat population.

Although the number of dogs remained stable in the same period, they are more expensive to keep as pets: costing an average of almost ¥1,000 ($140/€120) more per year due to their higher food intake, grooming needs and medical expenses.