Commercial perception, product quality and trust interact to influence pet owners’ purchasing decisions, according to research results published in the Journal of Economic, Social, and Managerial Systems.
Beyond simple price, consumers evaluate pet food through a combination of economic considerations, product characteristics and outside recommendations. The study also examined how emotional advertising, digital marketing and social media influencers may affect consumer behavior.
R. Aarthi Alamelu, a researcher in the Department of Commerce at SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai, India, conducted the study using questionnaire responses from 147 participants. The location of the study wasn’t identified specifically, but may have been India.
The research identified three factors that collectively explained 62.98% of the variance in respondents' preferences. However, the study used convenience sampling rather than a representative random sample, limiting how broadly its findings can be applied.
Three factors influence pet food purchasing preferences
The first factor, commercial perception, accounted for 25.65% of the variance identified through the analysis. It included four considerations: price, brand reputation, consumer reviews and ingredient lists.
Price had the strongest statistical association within this group, followed by brand reputation, reviews and ingredient information.
The second factor, product quality attributes, accounted for another 20.27% of the variance. It encompassed nutritional value, flavor and palatability, and product quality assurance.
Nutritional value had the highest factor loading in this category, followed by palatability and quality assurance.
The researcher interpreted these findings as evidence that consumers consider both a pet food's nutritional suitability and its perceived safety and acceptability to pets.
For manufacturers, the findings suggest an opportunity to explain how formulations address nutritional requirements and how production processes support product consistency and safety.
The third factor, expert and social trust, accounted for 17.06% of the variance. This category combined veterinarian recommendations, peer recommendations and social media influencer appeal.
Veterinarian recommendations had the strongest factor loading within this group, at 0.811, compared with 0.766 for peer recommendations and 0.643 for social media influencer appeal. These figures describe statistical relationships within the factor analysis, rather than directly measuring the relative influence of each source on purchases.
Emotional marketing raises questions about consumer trust
Beyond identifying purchasing preferences, the research examined the role of emotional appeals in pet food advertising. As consumers increasingly regard companion animals as family members, marketers can appeal to feelings of affection, responsibility, guilt and fear.
The paper describes how advertising messages may imply that purchasing a particular product demonstrates an owner's love for an animal or protects the pet from potential health risks. Although such appeals may encourage engagement, the researcher raised concerns about misleading claims and emotional manipulation.
The study recommended that manufacturers avoid fear-based messaging and exaggerated claims in favor of educational marketing that explains nutritional requirements, product suitability and responsible feeding practices.
Veterinarians and petfluencers occupy different positions in marketing
The research also considered how social media and digital marketing have introduced new sources of information into pet food purchasing decisions.
Pet influencers, or animals whose social media accounts attract substantial audiences, can present products through entertaining or relatable content. Their endorsements may appear more personal than conventional advertising.
However, the study emphasized the importance of credibility and transparency in influencer partnerships. The researcher recommended proper disclosure of commercial relationships, authentic collaborations and involvement by qualified experts to reduce the potential for misinformation.
Veterinarians remain particularly relevant to this strategy because their recommendations provide a source of professional expertise that differs from social media popularity or consumer testimonials.
The study's three-factor framework offers manufacturers a way to evaluate whether their marketing addresses the range of considerations consumers associate with pet food selection.
