Bon A-pet-treat! A Consumer Survey of Pet Owners.

We were curious about the trends with Australian consumers when it comes to the care of their furry friends, so we recently surveyed 500 pet owners to find out how much they’re spending, what they’re spending it on, and where they’re spending it!

Of our pet-owning respondents, 51% of them have one pet, 27% have two pets, and 22% have three or more pets. 71% have at least one dog, and 42% have at least one cat. Unsurprisingly, dogs and cats are the most common pets to have – over 90% of our surveyed pet owners have at least one cat or one dog (and some have both).

Our pet consumers shop the most overall at Woolworths, Petbarn, Coles, Kmart, Petstock, and Pet Circle.

The supermarket is the most common place of purchase for pet food, with walk-in and online specialty pet stores next in line. For flea/worming treatments, specialty pet stores are the more typical go-to, followed by the vet, and then the supermarket.

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For pet accessories and pet toys, specialty pet stores and variety/department stores (such as Kmart) are the most popular destinations, then supermarkets and online retailers (such as eBay and Amazon). There also appears to be a preference for buying accessories and toys in-store rather than online, perhaps for better in-person gauging of suitability for these items.

The top three consumer considerations for pet food selection are quality ingredients, knowing that their pet likes it, and the cost. Some also look for specific dietary components, or go by their vet’s recommendations.

The following percentage of respondents rated these ingredient factors as important: 58% for natural colours and flavours, 52% for minimally processed, 48% for no preservatives, 39% for scientific formula, 34% for no GMO ingredients, 31% for low fat, 30% for grain-free, 21% for organic, and 21% for raw.

58% of people say they stick to what they’re familiar with when purchasing pet food, but 42% will mix things up, depending on what’s on special, or just to provide extra variety for their pets.

The most commonly bought dog food brands are Optimum, Pedigree, Supercoat, Hill’s Science, Nature’s Gift, and Farmers Market, while the most commonly bought cat food brands are Fancy Feast, Whiskas, Fussy Cat, Dine, Felix, and Friskies.

The cat and dog owners in our survey also spend on other items and services, such as grooming (54%), clothing (30%), nutritional supplements/vitamins (27%), and day care (7%).

23% of the pet owners we survey have pet insurance, while 20% are considering it. 47% respondents have never had pet insurance, while 11% used to have it but no longer do.

Of those who have pet insurance, 52% have yet to make a claim, 20% have made one claim so far, and 28% have made multiple claims.

Close to two-thirds of the pet owners we surveyed estimate their overall pet costs to be under $2000 per year, while nearly one-fifth think they spend over $3000 annually, with the others somewhere in between. 25% say they are feeling the squeeze of the rising cost of living and are trying to spend less on their pets. 63% will spend about the same, and 12% think they’re spending more this year.

56% of our respondents say they follow animal social media accounts, and 34% of them often post about their pets on social media, either on their regular account, or one created especially for their pets.

We also asked pet owners if there are any products or services that they would like to purchase for their pets which are unavailable or hard to find. Items that people look for include things such as portable bathing stations, auto-cleaning litter trays, paw cleaners, durable chew toys, GPS trackers, easy-to-carry dog carriers for long walks, and good quality well-fitting dog harnesses and collars for very small dogs. Services that some people would like to see include affordable doggy day care for just a few hours during the day, special needs pet sitters or day cares, regular local neighbourhood dog walkers, public recreational dog agility parks, bird vets, and myxomatosis vaccines for rabbits.

To get the full report from this pet owner survey, fill in the form below!

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