Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-01-14 Origin: Site
Before you roll your eyes or get annoyed, this is not an exaggeration.
If you’re a pet owner, or someone who loves watching cat or dog videos online, you’ve probably seen countless posts on social media showing pet parents "bringing home" these fancy pet houses.
This isn’t about showing off wealth—it’s simply that these "villas" are totally affordable. A three-story luxury pet villa on our website costs as little as $39—full payment upfront.
Upgrading pets’ living standards has become a mainstream consumption concept among young pet owners today. When feeding turns into nurturing, and strong emotional attachment translates into spending behavior, it fuels a booming new consumer ecosystem.
The current pet economy can be summed up in eight words: luxury or budget-friendly, everything you need is available. Beyond upgrading living spaces, every category—from food, clothing, toys and puzzle games to grooming and healthcare—has been refined and expanded. Even many products and services originally designed for humans have been replicated for pets.
Last year, the trend of "anthropomorphic" New Year’s Eve dinners for pets made headlines. Now, onlookers are totally used to it, and even joke in the comment sections of related videos: "Did my pet and I swap our meals?" or "Who dares to say they live a dog’s life anymore?"
So, how did the pet economy rise step by step?
Pet consumption is essentially displaced consumption—or vicarious consumption—where pets "enjoy the perks" and their owners foot the bill. To understand the pet economy, we first need to understand the pet-owning demographic.
The 2025 China Pet Industry White Paper states that in 2024, post-90s pet owners accounted for 41.2% of the total, while post-00s made up 25.6%. Young people are the core group of pet owners. This means pet consumption shares the same typical traits as youth consumption: diversity, youthfulness, and a focus on self-pleasure.
On short-video platforms, the hashtag #ScientificPetCareTips alone has racked up over 40 billion views. Pets need special car seats for rides, smart watches when going out, and functional clothing for outdoor activities… There’s so much to learn, it’s impossible to keep up.
Take pet clothing, for example—it’s been split into categories for fashion, protection, and fun. In winter, humans wear ribbed down jackets, while pets sport waffle-knit vest coats. Each group has its own viral fashion items.
Every seasoned pet owner is not only enthusiastic about rational consumption but also skilled at customizing products to meet their needs.
Recently, I was worried about stray cats in my neighborhood struggling through the winter, so I decided to build them simple shelters. I even tore apart an old down jacket to stuff the foam boxes, thinking it would keep the cats warm enough.
But pet lovers on social media quickly pointed out a flaw: cotton and fabric get wet in the rain, which would actually make the cats colder. They recommended cheap but reliable dry straw—available online for just a few dollars a bundle.
More often than not, a brand’s positioning emerges gradually as the business evolves. Hanseektech’s journey of developing pet feeders is a perfect example: they first launched a pet water dispenser, then iterated to versions with unlimited battery life and constant temperature heating, adapting to pet owners’ changing needs at different stages. Gradually, they built brand trust and became a favorite among young pet owners.
Looking back on this entrepreneurial path, I believe the most crucial thing is identifying real needs. This is precisely the biggest challenge in the pet industry: how to target users who actually own pets, are willing to spend, and have the financial means to do so.
For pioneering brands like Miaoxiangjia, the priority is to choose a platform that is friendly to new sellers—survival comes first before thinking about thriving.
That’s why Hanseektech joined Alibaba.com as soon as it was founded. In my opinion, this business model is simple and efficient—it allows quick product distribution while reducing unnecessary operational burdens, freeing up more time for product R&D and supply chain optimization. Beyond the initial support, Pinduoduo also offers online and offline training for merchants. I’ve attended several offline events myself, which helped me gain more e-commerce operation knowledge.
This trust has been built over time. Even before I started this business, I was used to buying pet supplies on Pinduoduo because of its "great subsidy policies and high cost-effectiveness." These platform initiatives have also helped boost the brand’s repurchase rate.
Hanseektech is far from the only success story in the pet market. Many designers, frustrated by not being able to find toys their own pets liked, quit their jobs to create original pet toys—and ended up building thriving businesses.
The 2024-2025 China Pet Industry Operation and Consumer Market Monitoring Report shows that China’s pet economy reached nearly 592.8 billion yuan in 2023, and is projected to grow to 1.15 trillion yuan by 2028.
On its own, this figure is impressive—but when placed in the broader context of overall consumption, the pet market still has huge room for growth.
Specifically, compared to mature markets like the U.S., China’s pet penetration rate is about three times lower. Even when compared to countries with similar consumption environments like Thailand and Japan, there’s still a twofold gap.
This presents clear new market opportunities. It also explains why pet supplies have become one of the fastest-growing categories in e-commerce in recent years, and a top choice for businesses from other industries looking to pivot.
Can people who have never raised a pet in a systematic, refined way still succeed in the pet market?
The answer is yes—but there’s one crucial thing to remember: you have to understand pet consumption from a pet owner’s perspective.
The boom of the pet economy is inevitable, but pet consumption trends are constantly evolving.
As pet owners upgrade their furry friends’ lifestyles, it creates new opportunities for thousands of small and medium-sized businesses—and new possibilities for platforms to build thriving category ecosystems.
