United States Pet Market Outlook report 2019-2020: biggest players fully embrace an omnichannel approach

As of 2019, the macro situation in the U.S. pet industry is the story of marketers, retailers and service providers fighting for their footing in the age of e-commerce and IT.

As of 2019, the macro situation in the U.S. pet industry is the story of marketers, retailers and service providers fighting for their footing in the age of e-commerce and IT, according to Research and Markets. This isn't entirely new; online sellers of pet products have been advancing for the past decade, but only in the past few years have the biggest players fully embraced an omnichannel approach, going all out both in physical stores and online.

Brick-and-mortar-based big-box retailers are revamping to Amazon-proof their businesses by focusing increasingly on veterinary services (Petco added Thrive and PetCoachPetIQ opened clinics in Walmart stores); acquiring and/or building out online operations (PetSmart acquired Chewy; Petco acquired PupBox.com, PetCoach.com, and PetInsuranceQuotes.com); and launching omnichannel initiatives including click-and-collect, same-day delivery, and loyalty programs. 

Taking a cross-sector view of this dynamic and challenging landscape, U.S. Pet Market Outlook, 2019-2020 delivers actionable predictions and recommendations designed to guide pet marketers, retailers, service providers, and investors across the full scope of this market.

Non-food pet supplies are also feeling a cross-over effect as e-tailers look to expand further beyond food, in part through a new generation of high-tech and Internet/Bluetooth connected products, including pet tracking and monitoring devices. Also evolving with the technological times are the veterinary and non-medical pet care services fields, with app- and cloud-based technologies connecting pet owners with service providers online, as with online platforms for veterinary assistance like Petco's PetCoach and Vet24seven's AskVet, and with Rover and Wag's app-based pet walking and in-home boarding services. 

Innovative growth strategies have become essential in this omnichannel, boundary-crossing environment, particularly as dog ownership rates, a key driver in the last decade of market growth, have begun to dip.

Key Topics Covered: 

Executive Summary 

1.1 Scope & Methodology 
1.1.1 Scope of Report 
1.1.2 Report Methodology 
1.2 Market Trends 
1.2.1 Market Performance 
1.2.2 Market Drivers 
1.3 Industry Trends 
1.3.1 Industry Overview 
1.3.2 Pet Food 
1.3.3 Non-Food Pet Supplies 
1.3.4 Veterinary Services 
1.3.5 Non-Medical Petcare Services 
1.4 Retail Trends 
1.4.1 Competitive Situation 
1.4.2 Channel Trends 
1.5 Pet Ownership Trends 
1.5.1 Slight Dip in Dog Ownership Rates 
1.5.2 Market Growth Demographics 
1.6 Sales Growth Opportunities 
1.6.1 "Pet Effect" as Pet Population Driver 
1.6.2 Pet-Friendliness 
1.6.3 E-Commerce and Omnichannel 
1.6.4 Blurring the Line Between Meals and Snacks 
1.6.5 Next Generation Superpremium Pet Food 
1.6.6 A New Blue? 
1.6.7 IT Driving Pet Product Innovation, Automating Petcare Tasks 
1.6.8 Petcare Services Providers Going Digital
1.6.9 Vet-Connected Pet Wearables
1.6.10 New Funding for Innovative Start-ups
1.6.11 Subscription-Based Products and Services
1.6.12 Cause Marketing and Animal Welfare
1.6.13 Lower-Income Households

Market Trends 

2.1 Chapter Highlights 
2.2 Market Performance 
2.2.1 Growth in the Age of E-Commerce and IT 
2.2.2 Market Share by Category and Animal Type 
2.2.3 Share of Pet Product Sales by Channel 
2.2.4 Projected Channel Share Shifts 
2.2.5 Boarding and Grooming Account for Over Two-Thirds of U.S. Petcare Services Sales 
2.3 Market Drivers 
2.3.1 E-Commerce/IT Spurs Innovation, Reshapes Market 
2.3.2 Investment and M&A Activity Going Strong 
2.3.3 Pet as Family 
2.3.4 Pets in Public 
2.3.5 HABRI Documents Human Health Benefits of Pet Ownership 
2.3.6 Scaling up "Superpremium": Fresh Pet Food 
2.3.7 Economic Improvement Reflected in Pet Owner Outlook 
2.3.8 Pet Ownership Trends 
2.3.9 Boomers, Millennials, and Housing Issues 
2.3.10 Purchased Pets Out, Adopted Pets In 
2.3.11 Smaller Dogs Are Big 
2.3.12 Aging Pet Population 
2.3.13 Pet Overweight/Obesity 
2.3.14 Higher-Income Households Achieve New Pet Expenditure Milestone 
2.3.15 Dog and Cat Ownership Down Among Lower-Income Households 
2.3.16 Non-Dog/Cat Resurgence? 
2.3.17 DCM/Grain-Free Situation Worsens

Industry Trends 

3.1 Chapter Highlights 
3.2 Industry Overview 
3.2.1 Market Structure 
3.2.2 Leading Pet Product Marketers and Brands 
3.2.3 Leading Veterinary and Other Petcare Service Operators 
3.2.4 Fast-Growing Franchises 
3.2.5 M&A and Investment Activity 
3.2.6 Subscription-Based Products and Services 
3.2.7 Cause Marketing and Animal Welfare 
3.2.8 Top of the Heap Product and Service Types 
3.3 Pet Food 
3.3.1 "Omnichannel" in the Age of E-Commerce and Mass Premiumization 
3.3.2 Champion Petfoods Extends Distribution into Petco 
3.3.3 PetSmart and Petco Changing with the Pet Food Times 
3.3.4 The Next Big Superpremium Thing 
3.3.5 Fresh, Human-Grade Pet Food 
3.3.6 Ongoing Interest in Natural Pet Food 
3.3.7 Grain-Free Diets Facing Increasing Headwinds 
3.3.8 Limited Ingredient Diets 
3.3.9 Clean and Transparent 
3.3.10 Blurring the Lines Between Snack and Meals: Treats, Toppers, and Wet Food 
3.3.11 Alternative Proteins, Novel Ingredients, and the Future of Functional Pet Food 
3.3.12 Pet Food Safety: Issue and Opportunity 
3.3.13 Non-Food Pet Products Increasingly Intersecting with Pet Food 
3.4 Non-Food Pet Supplies 
3.4.1 All Eyes on Pet Tech 
3.4.2 Pet Tech Products Surpass $440 Million in Sales 
3.4.3 Powerhouse Pet Food Marketers Betting on Tech 
3.4.4 Vet-Connected 
3.4.5 Health, Convenience, and ECOM 
3.4.6 Multi-Smart Marketers: Wagz and Petkit Cover Multiple Bases 
3.4.7 Pet Wearables: Tracking, Monitoring, and More 
3.4.8 Camera Monitors and Treat Dispensers 
3.4.9 Feeding & Watering 
3.4.10 Toys 
3.4.11 Calming Products 
3.5 Veterinary Services 
3.5.1 An Industry in Flux 
3.5.2 App- and Cloud-Based Technologies 
3.5.3 Industry Consolidation 
3.5.4 Diagnostics and DNA Testing 
3.5.5 Pet Wearables Are Increasingly Vet-Connected 
3.5.6 ECOM Taking a Toll on Vet Pet Food Sales 
3.5.7 Veterinary Services Inside Pet Superstores 
3.5.8 Petco Launches Vet-Focused PetCoach Stores 
3.5.9 PetIQ Opening Veterinary Clinics in Walmart Stores 
3.5.10 Walgreens and CVS Also Partnering with Veterinary Service Providers 
3.5.11 Veterinarians Countering E-tailers with Online Pharmacies of Their Own 
3.5.12 Consumer Expenditures in Veterinary Clinics 
3.5.13 Fairness to Pet Owners Act 
3.6 Non-Medical Petcare Services 
3.6.1 Market Landscape 
3.6.2 Market Continues to Enamor Investors 
3.6.3 Battle of the Apps 
3.6.4 Local and Worldwide 
3.6.5 Pet Sitters International Weighs in on Pet Tech Boom 
3.6.6 Pet Specialty Increasingly Reliant on Petcare Services, Smaller Stores 
3.6.7 PetSmart and Petco 
3.6.8 Franchise Operations 
3.6.9 Best Friends Pet Care 
3.6.10 Pet Insurance Posting Double-Digit Growth

Retail Trends 

4.1 Chapter Highlights 
4.2 Competitive Situation 
4.2.1 E-Commerce/IT Upending Longstanding Retail Dynamics 
4.2.2 Signs of the E-Commerce Times 
4.2.3 Top Three Pet Specialty Retailers Under New Direction 
4.2.4 Petland Discounts Loses Battle to E-Commerce 
4.2.5 Chewy Ahead in Sales, Amazon Out Front by Number of Online Pet Product Shoppers 
4.2.6 Amazon's Pet Market March Continues 
4.2.7 PetSmart and Petco Building Out Online 
4.2.8 Walmart Also Looking to the Internet 
4.2.9 Subscription Programs 
4.2.10 Rapid Home Delivery and Click-and-Collect 
4.2.11 Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Sharpening Focus on Petcare Services 
4.2.12 Petco Bans Artificial Ingredients in Pet Food, Adds Champion Brands 
4.2.13 Petco Bringing JustFoodForDogs Kitchens Into Its Stores 
4.2.14 Customers Buying More Pet Products in Walmart Stores 
4.2.15 Private Label and Exclusive Brands Taking on New Importance 
4.2.16 Pet Specialty Independents and Small Chains Finding Strength in Numbers 
4.2.17 Amazon Plus Brick-and-Mortar Pet Specialty? 
4.3 Channel Trends 
4.3.1 Pet Product Customer Base by Retail Channel 
4.3.2 Walmart Tops Among Pet Product Shoppers 
4.3.3 Channel Loyalty Lower for Owners of Different Pet Types

Pet Ownership Trends 

5.1 Chapter Highlights 
5.1.1 Overview of Pet Ownership Rates 
5.1.2 Pet Ownership Rates by Age Bracket 
5.1.3 A Third of Pet Households Keep Different Types 
5.1.4 Ownership of Multiple Pets of a Single Type 
5.1.5 Market Growth and the Graying of America 
5.1.6 Two-Adult Households without Kids Account for One-Third of Pet Owners 
5.1.7 Pet Ownership Grows Among Hispanics

Companies Mentioned 

  • Amazon
  • AskVet
  • Chewy
  • CVS
  • HABRI
  • PetCo
  • PetCoach
  • PetInsuranceQuotes.com
  • PetIQ
  • PupBox.com
  • Rover
  • Thrive
  • Vet24Seven
  • Wag!
  • Walgreens
  • Walmart

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vqlqtn.

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