Royal Canin feeds efforts in country's pet market

Royal Canin China, a major producer in the pet nutrition industry, has vowed to further invest in innovation and digitalization to get more engaged with younger pet owners in the country as well as build a stronger industrial ecosystem, said the company's executives.

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.

She added, "This has provided new thinking for Royal Canin to offer precise nutritional solutions and customized services, as well as to expand market segments."

The biggest common trend is the focus on health and nutrition among pet owners, which will continue to grow as the pet industry develops, said Osborn.

The market scale of pet-related industries in China is booming, forecast to reach 493.6 billion yuan ($70.8 billion) this year, up 25.2 percent from 2021, according to iiMedia Research. By 2025, the pet economy is expected to reach 811.4 billion yuan. The pet food market this year is estimated to reach 267 billion yuan.

According to the 2021 China Pet Industry White Paper, pet sector consumption has seen rapid growth in the areas of pet grooming and bathing services, training, pet amusement stores and pet photography.

During China's upcoming first Retail Pet Store Industry Summit, Royal Canin will introduce a plan to build more professional, standardized and individualized pet services among pet grooming, bathing chain stores and independent businesses.

Meanwhile, the Chinese market is in a rapid period of expansion. Consumer demand is evolving with younger pet owners, who tend to be more digitally oriented and appreciative of creativity, according to Royal Canin.

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 June 18 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.

In September, Royal Canin will host the Super Brand Day on Tmall, where it will livestream camping activities with local pet owners and key social media influencers to further enhance education and conversation.

Offline, the company has plans to begin work this month 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.

According to Osborn, the pet clinic industry needs to better respond to the segmentation of treatment needs and establish a mutual trust relationship with pet owners.

"Together with industry associations, hospitals and universities, we are set to establish a dynamic and complete system to empower young talent with the knowledge and clinical skills to face a fast-changing market," she said.

Xia Zhaofei, professor at China Agricultural University, said universities should work with more pet clinics to develop systematic courses that continue to contribute talent to the industry.