The amount of notes has increased by more than 400 times, and exotic pets have gone from being "unpopular animals" to "popular companions"

Why have exotic pets suddenly become a hot topic recently? This article will explain the reasons. This article is also recommended for companies or individual business owners in the pet industry.

Some time ago, Dingdong Maicai launched a new seafood product - a set of 2 fresh crabs per box, priced at only 18.8 yuan.

Compared to "food ingredients", Dingdong Maicai positioned it as an ornamental pet. Not only did it name them Sodium Chloride and Monosodium Glutamate after the two crabs raised by the male protagonist in the TV series "One Life, One World", it also thoughtfully arranged an ornamental box and a breeder's manual.

Afterwards, the two crabs unexpectedly became popular on social platforms and were sold out after they were put on the shelves. It is reported that the crabs, which stayed together, topped the "Internet celebrity new and unique popularity list" on the Dingdong app platform with sales of 14,000 pieces.

In this way, a fresh product whose real name is the Sesarman crab has become the "top stream" in the pet circle and one of the new favorite pets of young people.

In fact, raising crabs as pets is nothing new. In iBrandi's opinion, the reason why "pet crabs" are so popular nowadays is the booming exotic pet economy behind it.

The 2022 China Pet Industry Trend Insight White Paper pointed out that the growth of the dog and cat market has slowed down, while the small pet and exotic pet market has shown a rapid development trend. Among them, the number of households with aquatic pets has climbed to 16.49 million, and the number of households with reptiles has climbed to 10.5 million.

As of press time, the number of notes about "small pets" on Xiaohongshu has reached more than 14.55 million. It is worth mentioning that in August 2022, iBrandi Pinchuang also searched for the content of "small pets" on Xiaohongshu, and the number of notes at that time was only more than 30,000. In less than two years, the number of notes has increased by nearly 485 times.

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Is the next level in the pet-keeping world to raise “exotic pets”?

Note: "Exotic pets" refer to new pets that are different from traditional pets, such as lizards, snakes, hamsters, etc. The "exotic pets" discussed in this article include aquatic animals, rodents, rabbits, birds, etc., and exotic (small) pets other than cats and dogs.

1. After cats and dogs, young people also like to fish, raise turtles and play with birds

The surge in the number of notes directly reflects the current popularity of exotic pets, and the data from the just-concluded 618 shopping festival proves that they also have strong consumption potential. Obviously, consumers are not just talking about their interest in exotic pets.

According to the data released by Taobao and Tmall during the 618 opening period, from May 20 to 28, birds and hamsters emerged as a new force, and the sales of related pet products increased significantly, becoming a trending category in the promotion. Among them, aquarium pets that can be ordered directly on Taobao had sales exceeding one million just one hour after the 618 sales started this year.

Aquatic pets, mainly fish, are one of the popular categories of exotic pets. The "2023 Popular Interest Trends" released by China National Radio pointed out that small aquatic pets are becoming more and more popular and have become the "new favorite" of young people.

Previously, the topic #Over 600,000 young people search for fish tanks on Taobao every day# once became a hot search on Weibo. The "Pet-Aquarium World Industry Research" report released by Jieshu Consulting in 2023 pointed out that the aquarium industry on the Taobao platform has reached a volume of 6.415 billion yuan in 2022, with an audience of 260 million people and a customer unit price of 134.51 yuan; on the Douyin platform, aquarium products have become the largest subcategory under Douyin's pet products, with monthly sales ranging from 50 million to 75 million yuan.

According to statistics from the First Financial Business Data Center, in the past year, aquarium sales accounted for more than 70% of the exotic pet market, of which fish accounted for nearly 90% of the aquarium market. In terms of specific categories, small ornamental fish with low breeding barriers and colorful colors have become popular in aquariums.

In addition to aquarium pets, hamsters, rabbits, ducks, hedgehogs and other exotic pets are also popular. The "2022 Aquarium & Small Pet Market Development Trend Insight" report pointed out that from June 2021 to May 2022, the overall growth rate of the rabbit market exceeded 20%. The report said that the rabbit market showed three major trends, including refined breeding, the pursuit of high-value products, and the expectation of more products that combine fun and function.

The China Pet Market Survey Report released last year showed that among urban pet owners, 61.74% keep dogs, 19.13% keep cats, and the third most popular pet among urban residents is turtles, accounting for 6.09%. In addition, the report pointed out that fish, rabbits, birds, and rodents are also the choices of many urban residents.

So, what exactly can exotic pets bring to consumers?

First, compared to cats and dogs, raising exotic pets will definitely bring a certain sense of freshness to the breeder. Secondly, pets can be raised in a lazy way, and some small pets can even require less living space than cats, which is why small fish, mice, and rabbits are more popular with consumers than exotic pets such as small fragrant pigs, which are more difficult to raise. Finally, whether it is cats, dogs or exotic pets, they are essentially emotional economies, and they can also bring emotional value to the public. In particular, at certain moments, choosing an exotic pet with a lower breeding cost is not only an emotional partner for humans, but also an emotional partner for other pets at home.

2. The hot economy behind the “unpopular animals” has increased by more than 400 times

Where there is demand, there is a market. The following three trends and characteristics of the exotic pet market may be the important reasons that support these "unpopular pets" to become "hot economy."

1. Younger population

PaiDu pointed out in the "2022 China Pet Consumption Report" that people who keep exotic pets are mainly those born after 1995, accounting for 33.7%.

The "2022 Aquatic & Small Pet Market Trend Insight Report" released by Tmall & Kaijie E-Commerce also pointed out that the overall population structure of aquatic small pets is mainly male, mostly aged 30-39, and most of them live in fourth-tier cities and below; but it can be found that the 18-24 population maintains a high growth rate, with transaction volume increasing by more than 10% year-on-year, and will become a potential group to promote the sustainable development of the industry.

In fact, from the "Rat Literature" that became popular on the Internet last year, to the seemingly Buddhist and emotionally stable Capybara (capybara) that successfully "established" the "pig gate" and became a spiritual idol for contemporary young people, to the monkey "Mala" meme that became popular on the Internet this year.

The popularity of the exotic pet market is inseparable from their cute or novel appearance, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is because young people have found "resonance" in them, or they become a window for their emotional release, that they have become popular on social platforms.

2. Diversify the methods of raising

Exotic pets are pets, and they can also be pets of pets. In addition, exotic pets, especially small pets, are more like "variable companions" for contemporary young people, providing them with emotional value. It is precisely because of the diversity of exotic pets that the diversity of breeding scenarios has also been brought about.

For example, the recently popular practice of raising fish at workstations.

If you search for "raising fish at workstation" on Xiaohongshu, you will find a large number of "slacking fish players" sharing their experiences. Some recommend beautiful glass tanks, some share various "slacking fish" methodologies such as how to raise fish in Luckin cups, focusing on a sense of laziness, convenience, and relaxation.

At the same time, there are also discussions about slacking off at workstations, slacking off with pay, and even the feng shui of fish tank placement at workstations. In addition to ornamental fish, turtles, hermit crabs, horned frogs, jellyfish, etc. have also been moved to workstations and become new "work companions" for workers. All of the above are, in essence, manifestations of the emotional value that exotic pets provide to workers. For workers, what they raise at their workstations is not only fish, but also their own hearts.

Of course, in addition to the breeding method like "slacking off at the workstation" which can only be achieved for some specific exotic pets, hamsters, rabbits, Call ducks, etc., like cats and dogs, can attract public attention with their interesting and fresh characteristics, whether recording and sharing the daily life of exotic pets on social platforms or conducting live broadcasts.

For example, the TikTok blogger @毛桃桃大眼袋, in addition to owning several pet cats, also raises a Call duck and chickens.

On her Douyin platform, she shares the happy daily life of ducks, cats and chickens. The highest number of likes for a video exceeds 3 million. She has currently accumulated over 2.8 million followers.

3. Brand and service refinement

Corresponding to the younger population and diversified parenting methods is the refinement of brands and services.

From the perspective of user needs, the "2023 Aquarium Small Pet Scene Trend White Paper" points out that consumers' choices of aquarium small pet related products are mainly fish farming equipment, aquarium landscape decoration, hamster and bird breeding products. Its core appeal is centered around "fish farming saves worry and effort/aquarium landscape decoration/improving the quality of life of hamsters and birds".

When new user demands emerge, entrepreneurs who can sense the trend will always appear in the consumer market. And, whether flying in the sky or swimming in the water, there are brands that have been favored by capital.

Founded in 2019, "Bukaxing" is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and sales of supplies and food for hamsters, rabbits and birds. With the emergence of demand and market potential, it disclosed the completion of financing in November 2021, August 2022 and February 2023 respectively.

In addition, "Bird Bureau" also disclosed in June 2022 that it had completed an angel round of financing of RMB 25 million. The brand focuses on providing professional and high-quality services to bird lovers; "Haixiangshuo", which provides intelligent products and services for marine aquarium ecological landscapes, disclosed in October of the same year that it had completed a RMB 10 million A round of financing.

In particular, in the pet market, the refined and anthropomorphic pet raising that we often mention is not limited to cats and dogs. Exotic pets can also be raised in poverty or in wealth. In contrast, various segmentation opportunities and entrants will emerge.

3. Conclusion

Overall, the popularity of exotic pets is not surprising, given the development of the pet market and the boost of social media.

But not all exotic pets can be raised in a low-cost and lazy manner. Some exotic pets are charming but dangerous.

For example, the Capybara, a popular animal on the Internet, saw its value soar during Taobao's 618 shopping event this year, with a single animal reaching 45,000 yuan, but its sales volume increased more than three times year-on-year. At the same time, the Capybara is also very difficult to raise.

In the article "Young People Don't Raise Babies, Instead They Serve Capybaras Like Beasts and Horses", Daily People reported in detail the unknown side of the cute Capybara. For example, the seemingly Buddhist Capybara is actually very willful and emotionally unstable. Also, although the Capybara is only a vegetarian, a 5-year-old adult Capybara needs to eat 10 kilograms of vegetables and 5 kilograms of fruit a day. The cost of raising it is also very high.

On the other hand, each type of exotic pet has a different way of raising it, but the market currently lacks a mature breeding chain. The exotic pet market is still in the early stages of development and is still "growing wildly", and there are still many problems that need to be solved.

In fact, although the exotic pet market is growing rapidly, iBrandi believes that it will always be a niche market that cannot compete with cats and dogs. But for brands, the niche market is one of the few opportunities for them to enter the market. It may also be an option to focus on a certain type of exotic pet and provide one-stop services exclusively for that type of exotic pet.

Finally, let me say a word on behalf of our furry friends. The connection between pets and their owners should not be just about "novelty". Whether you are raising cats or dogs, or one of the more popular exotic pets, it is most important to treat them with care and be faithful to them.

Author: Bale

Source: WeChat official account: "iBrandi Pinchuang (ID: ibrandi)"