Can new offline consumption scenarios be opened up through pet social networking?

The pet market is growing in size, and pets are meeting more and more emotional needs of pet owners, which has led to a series of business scenarios such as pet socializing and pet gatherings. "Pet-friendly" has also become a traffic code for both online and offline. So, will pet socializing and pet-friendly become a new trend in the development of the pet economy?

As young people today are increasingly accustomed to living alone, pets have gradually become the emotional companions of single young people because of the emotional value they can provide. At the same time, the pet economy, which has developed rapidly in the past two years around the food, clothing, housing and transportation of "furry children", has also shown a trend of diversification and refinement.

Especially when pets become a part of life, pet owners also begin to pay attention to the social needs of their pets, and even take their pets for walks like raising children, and also participate in social activities organized specifically for pets. This has led to a series of business scenarios such as pet socializing and pet gatherings.

In this context, "pet-friendly" has also become a traffic code for both online and offline, and some traditional offline businesses actively cater to pet owners with the concept of "pet-friendly business". When love for furry children becomes another connection between consumers and businesses, will pet socialization and pet-friendliness become the new key to unlocking the pet economy?

1. Watching movies, competing, making friends, pet socializing is exciting‍

Although rational consumption has become an obvious trend in the consumer market, pet owners' willingness to spend on their furry children has not diminished. According to JD.com's pet battle report, the sales volume of pet staple wet food during this year's Double 11 increased by 128% year-on-year; the sales volume of plant cat litter increased by 550% year-on-year; and the sales volume of smart products, which are popular pet products, also achieved a year-on-year growth of 109%.

Adhering to the concept of "you can eat dirt, but your furry children must be well-fed", pet owners are paying more and more attention to the social needs of their pets. In the past two weeks alone, there were nearly 20 offline pet activities held simultaneously in Shanghai. Specific activities include watching movies with pets, sharing a home with cats, offline gatherings in the countryside, outdoor paddling with puppies, and other outdoor social activities for people and pets. At the same time, pet-themed party exchanges and pet tea parties are also becoming a new trend in the pet circle.

*Photo provided by the interviewee

The Jingzhe Research Institute found on platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin that most pet gatherings are currently dominated by dogs, and the duration of the event is generally less than one day. The event usually includes pet competitions, fashion shows, concerts, photo shoots, pet classes, and other activities. And considering the winter climate, some event organizers will also choose to hold events indoors in the form of boiling tea around the stove. In terms of the richness of the event alone, pet socializing is no less than a gathering of young people.

In November this year, the lifestyle collection space "1LOKU" in Shanghai co-hosted a pet social party with the illustration exhibition. Not only were there ocean ball pools, obstacle courses and other recreational activities for pets, but pet owners could also DIY a necklace for their pets on site, and watch a movie with their furry children outdoors at night. Another Christmas-themed pet party organized by the pet photography agency "PATAGO" included pet adoption and photo sessions, as well as pet-friendly store visits and canvas bag DIY experiences.

In addition to theme events organized by businesses, social organizations such as pet communities and pet clubs often plan pet gatherings. Ren Yuwan, the manager of "Doggo Cute Pet Community", told Jingzhe Research Institute that outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and stream tracing in urban pet gatherings are very popular among pet owners. When comparing the charging standards for activities, Jingzhe Research Institute found that most pet gatherings are free to participate, whether they are urban pet gatherings or outdoor activities. Even for paid activities, the price will not be particularly high, generally within 50-300 yuan, which is within the acceptable social cost range for young people.

*Photo provided by the interviewee

As the organizer, Yuwan revealed to the Jingzhe Research Institute that the charging standard for pet parties is related to the venue and materials needed to be prepared on site. For example, when using a merchant's venue, there will be a venue fee. If food and equipment materials need to be prepared on site, it will also increase part of the event cost and the fee will be higher. "However, whether the event is charged will also depend on whether there is sponsorship. Generally, we will provide free activities if there are sponsorships from merchants."

In Yuwan's opinion, the material preparation and publicity before a pet party is very important. Because pet-oriented activities are still relatively niche, it is very limited to find a venue that accepts and is suitable for pets. During the event, how to make pets live in harmony and let pet owners have fun is a great test of the organizer's event planning and on-site execution capabilities. "These are limitations, but also opportunities, because not many organizations are willing to plan and organize such content for this group, so every time there is an interesting event, many young people are still very happy to participate." Yuwan said.

2. Pet gatherings, owners’ social circles

"We are a group of people who love pets and are willing to meet friends who love pets as well." This is a common slogan for offline pet social parties. While pets are enjoying the offline gatherings, pet owners who originally lived alone also met other like-minded friends through the activities, and naturally formed new social relationships.

Netizen Jiuyue is a pet owner and a photographer. After learning from Xiaohongshu that there was an offline pet party in his city, he participated in the event with the idea of ​​taking photos of pets on site. "Most of the events I participated in were jointly organized by shopping malls and pet organizations. This kind of pet-centered event can avoid a lot of embarrassment, and people with social anxiety can also participate. The parents (referring to pet owners) who participated on site did not know each other, but after one or two rounds of games, they could talk naturally. The game content is also quite interesting. In addition to the common obstacle race, there are also 123 wooden figures or handcraft experience games played with dogs."

*Photo provided by the interviewee

Although the threshold for participating in pet gatherings is relatively low, in order to make their pets adapt to such group activities and participate in competitions such as obstacle courses, some pet owners will send their furry children to special "pet schools" for training. According to the Jingzhe Research Institute, pet training courses cover a wide range of subjects, generally including basic command training such as squatting and shaking hands, as well as training courses for professional competitions that require pet owners and pets to conduct together. The charging standards of different training institutions are also not uniform, ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 yuan.

Although pet owners are enthusiastic about pet gatherings, the income of event organizers is very limited. Event planner Yu Yu told Jingzhe Research Institute that planning a pet event requires planning the event time, finding an event venue, and contacting the event host and on-site photography. The only real charges are event props and meals. "Basically, it is only a break-even state. Sometimes, after working hard for two weeks, I only make 100 yuan in the end."

In order to spread their brands and promote their products, some pet product companies have also started to hold some free pet events, which has gradually led many pet owners to form the wrong perception that all events should be free, causing unnecessary trouble for personally planned events. Previously, when Yuyu was organizing events, pet owners had asked questions such as "Why don't you hold an event to give away prizes?" and "Do you give away annual pet insurance for a 138 yuan event?"

In fact, the problems that event organizers need to face are far more than what we see. Pet safety issues should not be underestimated. On social platforms, many netizens posted that their pets "ran away", "were poisoned by something they ate", or "were infected with parasites" during outdoor activities. These emergencies have troubled the owners and event organizers.

*Photo provided by the interviewee

In addition, according to Yu Yu, there is also a problem of breed discrimination among pet owners. "Some of the dogs participating in the event are valuable breed dogs, and some are rural dogs. Some owners of breed dogs may not let their dogs play with rural dogs." Yu Yu said that although pet socializing looks beautiful, there is also a chain of contempt. "After all, pets depend on humans, and the essence of pet socializing also depends on humans."

3. Is pet-friendliness a new business?

As the size of the pet-owning population continues to expand, especially as pet owners are characterized by high education, high income, and strong willingness to consume, pet social activities are no longer limited to small-scale gatherings. More and more shopping malls and theme stores are also promoting the concept of "pet-friendly" and providing offline scenarios for pet owners to attract high-quality customers.

According to the Jingzhe Research Institute, outdoor shopping streets do not have high requirements for pets to enter. Usually, they only need to tie a leash to enter freely. Indoor shopping malls require pets to wear leashes, and only small and medium-sized dogs are allowed. It is worth mentioning that all pet-friendly shopping malls also provide disposable pet supplies, including pet diapers, poop bags, tear swabs, emergency snacks, etc., and also provide pet strollers and smart locators for rental.

In some well-known shopping malls that emphasize "pet-friendly" positioning, hardware facilities such as pet toilets, pet-friendly elevators, and rest areas are indispensable. For example, Shanghai AI PLAZA West Coast Phoenix Nest, which is often on the list of recommended pet-friendly shopping malls, has set up a free pet park on the third floor of the mall's external passage, and is equipped with drinking water devices of different heights. In addition, West Coast Phoenix Nest also held activities such as the Pet Life Festival and the Therapy Dog Charity Station.

Another example is another shopping mall, Hangzhou Gland Plaza, which has launched the world's first pet-themed block, which includes pet-exclusive restaurants, hotel-style foster care services, weekly pet activities, genetic testing rooms, etc. Some shopping malls even adopt stray cats and dogs and give them a "staff" identity. For example, KWG·MFO (Chengdu) adopted a stray cat in 2021, with the position of "MFO affinity officer" who specializes in patrolling venues and stores.

Shopping malls are not the only ones targeting pet-friendliness. Coffee shops, tea restaurants and trendy brand stores are also keen on creating pet-friendly theme stores. As the first coffee chain brand in China to call out the slogan of pet-friendliness, Starbucks currently has more than 100 pet-friendly stores in China. In addition to providing independent outdoor rest areas, exclusive cup slots, leash hooks, exclusive trash cans and other facilities, the stores also provide cream for pets.

In addition, more and more brands have realized that incorporating pet-friendliness into business strategies can attract more customers: Manner Coffee uses cross-border collaboration to launch pet-friendly store areas and peripheral designs; SeeSaw Coffee uses cats and dogs as doormen to attract consumers; Tai Er Pickled Fish can be exchanged for cat food by exchanging secret codes; McDonald's has launched cat beds and cat bags; Sorry Dog, a coffee brand known as "cat-friendly", has divided the space into "cat-friendly" and "dog-friendly" in its first store in Shanghai, and even built private cat boxes and artificial wooden mountains based on cat habits...

Regardless of whether "pet-friendly" is just a competitive strategy based on commercial considerations, the tolerance of pets by businesses reflects respect for consumers. Especially considering the emotional value behind pet-raising behavior, attracting pet owners by taking care of furry children has greatly influenced the pet-raising group's preference for stores.

From pet gatherings to the creation of "pet-friendly" shopping malls, the popularity of "pet-friendly" is due to the commercial value that pet owners continue to present because of the pet "label". With the continuous upgrading of the pet economy, the continued rise of "pet-friendly" business has become a general trend, and more consumer products and service projects built around pets are coming to "poop shovelers".

*Yuwan, Jiuyue and Yuyu in the article are all pseudonyms

Author: Xiaodong WeChat public account: Jingzhe Research Institute