Insights into the U.S. pet product consumer demographic: pet ownership rates among young people are rising

It is learned that according to the latest "2023-2024 National Pet Owners Survey" released by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), 66% of American households currently have at least one pet, and the number of pet owners among Generation Z and Millennials has reached the same level as Generation X and Baby Boomers for the first time.

Differentiation of pet product consumers

According to the report, the pet ownership rate among millennial and Generation Z consumers has steadily increased over the past five years, with the pet ownership rate among Generation Z increasing from 11% in 2018 to 16% in 2022, and the pet ownership rate among millennials increasing from 31% in 2018 to 33% in 2022.

Meanwhile, pet ownership rates among baby boomers and Generation X are declining: Generation X’s pet ownership rate is expected to drop from 26% in 2018 to 25% in 2022, while baby boomers’ pet ownership rate is expected to drop from 29% in 2018 to 24% in 2022.

In addition to age differentiation, the American pet consumption population is also differentiated in pet categories and spending levels.

According to APPA data, 50% of American households will have at least one dog and 35% will have at least one cat in 2022. Young people are more likely to have dogs, while older consumers are more likely to have cats and dogs.

Data shows that 17% of Generation Z consumers own dogs and 15% own cats. Among Generation X, 24% own dogs and 25% own cats. Among baby boomers, 22% own dogs and 23% own cats.

When it comes to spending on pet supplies, overall, the majority of pet owners (46%) are keeping their pet spending the same between 2021 and 2022.

Among those who are reducing spending, Millennials will see the fastest decline in spending in the past two years, with 17% reducing spending in 2022, compared to 8% in 2020, followed by Generation X (12% to 18%). Baby Boomers are also more likely to report a decrease in spending, increasing from 6% in 2020 to 11% in 2022, while Generation Z will see the smallest decrease in spending (11% to 13%).

Among those who will increase spending, the most significant growth is among baby boomers, with 31% saying they will increase spending in 2022, compared to 17% in 2020. Generation X and Generation Z saw a slight increase in the number of people saying they will increase spending, while the number of millennials saying they will increase spending fell from 49% in 2020 to 43% in 2022.

Overall, pet ownership rates are split between younger and older generations for the first time, a possible sign that millennial and Gen Z pet owners will begin to have a greater influence on the direction of the industry in the coming years.

Channels for contacting pet product consumers

In terms of channels for learning about new pet product products, the report pointed out that the most common channels include visiting stores (52%), followed by the Internet (45%). Social media (38%), friends and relatives (38%) and TV ads (35%) are the main channels for increasing awareness of new products.

Among those who learn about new products through digital channels, 50% mainly learn about them through brand websites, an increase from 45% last year.

Close behind was YouTube (45%), as well as retailer websites (43%), Facebook (42%), product review sites (33%), Instagram (32%), TikTok (25%) and Twitter (18%).

In terms of purchasing channels, 38% of pet owners usually buy pet products in person in physical stores, compared to 34% who buy online. In 2022, 50% of pet owners will not shop online at the same frequency, but 42% will increase their online shopping frequency and 8% will decrease their online shopping frequency.

In 2023, 31% of pet owners said they plan to utilize online shopping and home delivery more often, while 19% said they plan to order online and pick up in-store more often and 16% plan to utilize curbside pickup more often.

Overall, physical stores are still an important channel to reach pet product consumers, but the rise of e-commerce, social media and artificial intelligence-related technologies will have a greater impact on pet brand marketing methods.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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