M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
U.S. pet food industry - statistics & facts
The pet industry comprises live animal purchases, pet food, pet supplies, pet services such as grooming and boarding, and vet care. Pet food and treats were made up the largest share of the market in the United States in 2021. Vet care and products followed with the second largest sales amount in the sector. Pet supplies, live animals, and OTC medicine rounded off the leading cash-generating categories.
Pet stores and brands in the U.S.
The pet store market in the United States is a highly concentrated industry with two companies, PetSmart and PETCO Animal Supplies, accounting for over 45 percent of the market in 2022. On the demand side, the most important target groups for pet store marketers were pet owners aged between 45 and 64 years, who accounted for over 40 percent of total pet store revenue in 2021. Those aged between 25 and 44, however, came in close second with a 38.7 percent share of pet store revenue. For both dry dog food and dry cat food, Nestle Purina Petcare Co. held the largest share of the market in 2022, generating over 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in dry dog food sales and around 1.37 billion U.S. dollars in dry cat food sales.Pet food trends
During shopping trips for pet food, over half of surveyed U.S. owners claimed to specifically look for products which meet the health and nutrition standards of their pet. Other top considerations included whether the product was to their pet’s taste and the price. Trends in human food consumption, such as a focus on calorie intake, can also be seen transitioning into the pet world; searches for “low calorie pet food” on Amazon grew by over 110 percent in 2021 in the United States. Searches for organic pet food, a buzzword in almost every consumer goods category, grew by 35 percent. New sales-driving opportunities can also be observed in cannabidiol (CBD) pet edibles.
