The scale of my country's pet economy has exceeded 200 billion yuan, and there is a lot of chaos such as opaque management

In China, more and more families are keeping pets. The "White Paper on China's Pet Industry Trend Insights in 2022" released by JD.com shows that the number of pet-raising households in China will reach 91.47 million in 2021, and it is expected that the number of pet-raising households will exceed 100 million in 2022.

A reporter from Sanxiang Metropolis Daily found that with the growing number of pet owners, the scope of citizens raising pets continues to expand, and new pet professions include pet nutrition planners, pet behavior trainers, pet clothing customizers, etc. The "IT economy" is booming, and behind the emergence of new professions, there are also problems such as a lack of industry standards, a mismatch between market demand and professional talent, and a lot of chaotic charging.

market:

With the expansion of the pet economy, you can also make money by petting cats and teasing dogs.

"Mike is lying on the sofa. It has cooled down a lot today. Do you want to find a little vest for him to wear?" On November 30, I received a WeChat message from Xiao Zhao, the home-based pet feeder. Xie, who had to rush from Changsha to Shenyang due to work, Miss, immediately turn on the real-time monitoring in the living room, "This is the first time I ask someone to come to feed me. I'm actually quite unsure."

In the video, Mike, a golden retriever, looked at the stranger wearing a woolen hat in front of him, then quickly dropped his guard and wagged his tail. Under the guidance of Miss Xie, Xiao Zhao found a warm suit with the word "Get Rich" printed on it from the plastic storage box on the balcony, and completed tasks such as feeding and changing water, playing with pets, and cleaning the floor. While "Mike" was feasting, Xiao Zhao raised his cell phone, took an interesting video and sent it to Ms. Xie. The door-to-door feeding business was over. In less than an hour, Xiao Zhao earned 50 yuan.

Xiao Zhao, who has 9 years of experience in raising pets, runs a pet feeding studio after graduating from Hunan Agricultural University. "This week, the studio's feeding service has been fully booked. Every day from morning to night, we have to go to the homes of more than ten owners to feed their pets." Xiao Zhao said that the "completely equipped" studio not only provides pet feeding and playtime , foster care and other services, as well as pet care and disease prevention services. The service targets have also increased from cats and dogs to pet fish, turtles, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, etc.

In the eyes of many people, it is easy to earn dozens of yuan by visiting cats and walking dogs. The "shit collector" who provides door-to-door services is more like a pie-in-the-sky new profession. "The cost of starting a business is low, but it is not easy to do well. Feeding well and feeding well are two completely different concepts." Faced with doubts, Xiao Zhao said that for pet feeding, you must first understand the habits of pets.

trend:

Market segmentation, dozens of new professions for pets

From breeding to companionship, pets have become an indispensable family member for many young people. The "China Pet Industry White Paper" shows that in 2021, China's pet consumption market will reach 249 billion yuan, of which pet food consumption expenditure will account for 51.50%. The "my country's Pet Industry Development and Consumer Survey Research Report 2022-2023" released by iiMedia Consulting shows that in 2022, the scale of China's pet economic industry will reach 493.6 billion yuan.

Being willing to spend money on pets has also prompted new pet-related professions to become more refined. A reporter from Sanxiang Metropolis Daily found that nearly 20 new pet-related professions have emerged across the country, including professional pet seekers, pet behavior trainers, pet costumers, pet caretakers, pet weight loss specialists, and pet traditional Chinese medicine therapists. .

Wu Qiuqiao, a girl from Changsha who was born in 1994, came up with the idea of making Hanfu for her pet cat Liuliu. She quit her job as an advertising copywriter and returned to Changsha from Beijing to become a full-time pet Hanfu designer. "When I first opened the store in 2019, I tried to sell only 4 types of clothes. Now there are nearly 50 types of products such as necklaces, saliva towels, cloaks, and leashes, and the highest monthly turnover exceeds 70,000 yuan."

"The increase in consumer demand for pets has promoted the rapid development of the entire industry chain and spawned a large number of new pet-related occupations." Tu Di, secretary-general of the Hunan Pet Diagnosis and Treatment Industry Association, believes that the pet economy and the new occupations it has spawned are also important factors for the prosperity of the country and the people. Reflection of improved living standards.

Reason:

Even more willing to spend money, young people are keen to use "pampering" to relieve stress

What is little known is that during the “Double 11”, when consumption has become increasingly cautious, the pet economy has become one of the most outstanding performance tracks. On November 1, the e-commerce data analysis platform Mojing Data counted the pre-sales of Tmall's "Double 11" in 2022. Against the backdrop of pre-sales in most industries declining to varying degrees, the pre-sales of the pet market increased by 44%.

"People will rely more on pets during anxious and difficult times." Liu Lang, vice chairman of Xinruipeng Group, a Chinese pet medical chain organization, said in an interview with the media that the development of material civilization has made people more and more connected. The less pets become a trustworthy part of humans, or even the only part.

This statement was recognized by Hu Jian, director of the Psychological Counseling Center of Hunan Vocational and Technical College of Mass Media and a national second-level psychological counselor. She believes that heavy work prevents young people from socializing, and pets assume the function of healing and releasing stress when people are vulnerable. “Cats and dogs are relatively obedient animals, and their touch is as comfortable as a plush toy. Pet exposure can really improve people's negative moods."

The person in charge of the Changsha Small Animal Protection Association said that in the past two years, the number of pet owners in Changsha has increased by about 30%, and some have upgraded from single-pet households to multi-pet households. , and the considerate pet dogs in talk shows have indirectly stimulated the expansion of pet-owning groups. Single groups treat pets as family members. When their children are not around, pets have become the basis for the elderly to have fun in old age. In the foreseeable future, pets The pet market will continue to boom during the year."

think:

Hanging in mid-air, the new pet profession still needs standardized guidance

The "money" potential of the pet economy is unlimited, and many opportunities arise at the historic moment. However, a reporter from Sanxiang Metropolis Daily found that various new professions and new service methods that have emerged around pets also have phenomena such as no relevant normative laws and regulations, no industry standards, and opaque operations. Practitioners are also called "hanging in mid-air" people.

For example, the pet funeral industry, which has been developed in Changsha for nearly 10 years, is still in a gray area without policy supervision. "Pet funerals are in a 'three no matter' situation." Mr. Feng, a pet funeral practitioner, said that you only need to rent an open space and buy an incinerator to accept orders. The fee depends on the order, sometimes a few hundred yuan, sometimes Thousands of dollars.

For another example, the above-mentioned report by iiMedia Consulting estimates that the pet industry requires about 368,000 professional talents. However, as of 2020, only 142,910 people across the country have obtained practicing veterinarian qualification certificates, including 89,758 practicing veterinarians and 53,152 practicing assistant veterinarians.

An animal medicine expert who did not want to be named said that China has not yet formed unified laws, regulations and industry standards specifically for the development of the pet industry, and the industry is still in the spontaneous growth stage. Whether it is upstream, midstream or downstream, there are regulatory gaps in the "other economy".

He said that the long-term development of new professions is inseparable from institutional constraints. The rapid development of the pet economy means new opportunities for practitioners. Only by continuously improving the adaptability of talent training, industry association guidance and legal supervision can we combat market chaos and ensure Consumer rights and interests allow the pet economy to go further and better.