Pet Products in Hong Kong, China

PROSPECTS

High-tech pet products

As we are entering the digital era, the pet care industry has also been keeping up with developments. Brands like PETKIT, Petoneer and Petwant have been gaining more awareness in recent years.

Organic gaining prominence

It is a confirmed trend that people prefer organic and fresh ingredients in pet food, and this has influenced the pet products category as well. Especially in pet healthcare, in which organic skin and coat products, flea powders, natural hairball aids, tear stain supplements or even digestive enzymes and probiotics are made with organic substances – treating pets like humans, at the same time minimising the damage the products might cause to the environment as fewer chemicals are used in the formulas.

Partnership with pet-friendly associations

There are a lot of options on view for pet supplements and pet care products in traditional bricks-and-mortar stores or online stores. In fact, usually too many options, with little information on the products, which could ultimately lead to no sale being made.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Fragmented nature of pet products difficult to change

With no standard procedures or formal business partnerships like those seen in cat food or dog food, pet shop owners import almost everything sold under pet supplements categories based on affordability and popularity in the locations from which they are imported, which is the main reason why niche brands are able to survive and even thrive in pet products. It is hard to predict which brands will be preferred by pet owners because there are so many brands with similar functions, and importing them all into the local market is not feasible.

Education comes first in creating awareness

Owners are increasingly treating their pets as part of their family, with humanisation of pets also perhaps being reflected in the decreasing number of pets and dogs rescued by SPCA in 2017-2018. More people are adopting pets instead of purchasing them, caring less about the breed but just looking for company and a pet to have a mutual relationship with.

Strong growth in cat care products

The overall sales of cat care products – eg cat litter or cat oral care – were, to an extent, likely to see growth because of the continuous increases in the cat population. In 2018, there was strong growth in cat litter, with its broadening product diversity and increasing number of players entering the local market and competing with each other via innovation, for example with products like natural eco-friendly biodegradable soybean cat litter.

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