Royal Canin China, a major producer in the pet nutrition industry, has confirmed its strategy to further invest in innovation and digitalisation to get more engaged with younger pet owners in the country as well as build a stronger industrial ecosystem.
Stacey Osborn, General Manager of Royal Canin China, is positive about prospects for the pet nutrition market in China. The growth of the pet population and the scale of pet consumption have laid the foundation for continued growth while the market will be further segmented, said Osborn.
Osborn added, “This has provided new thinking for Royal Canin to offer precise nutritional solutions and customised services, as well as to expand market segments.”
According to Osborn, the biggest common trend is the focus on health and nutrition among pet owners, which will continue to grow as the pet industry develops.
iiMedia Research estimated the market for pet-related industries in China to grow at a high double-digit annual growth of 25.2% to reach Rmb 493.6 billion (US$70.8 billion) in 2022. The pet food market alone is estimated to reach Rmb 267 billion (US$37.7 billion) in 2022.
Royal Canin close collaboration with pet service providers attest to its ambition to grow the Pet Nutrition segment. During China’s upcoming first Retail Pet Store Industry Summit, Royal Canin will introduce a plan to build more professional, standardised and individualised pet services among pet grooming, bathing chain stores and independent businesses. Meanwhile, consumer demand is evolving with younger pet owners, who tend to be more digitally oriented and appreciative of creativity. The company has been exploring new digital channels for a more targeted reach. The company recently created a new official store on short-video sharing platform TikTok and other social media platforms.
The pet nutrition provider has seen many successes in online retail channels. During the 18 June shopping festival last year, Royal Canin cat food topped the category list of bestselling items at JD.com on the first day; at the same time, Royal Canin was on Tmall’s Top 10 brand list in the pet category.
Offline, the company has plans to begin work in September with about 500 Tim Hortons, a popular coffee chain store among younger generation consumers.
Royal Canin plans to keep investing in advocating responsible pet ownership and science-based pet nutrition to clarify long-existing myths and misconceptions about pets. Royal Canin has developed more than 550 different nutritional offers based on veterinary science and introduced more than 300 kinds of products into the Chinese market.
