In 2020, an estimated $99 billion will be spent on pets in the U.S., indicating the enormous buying potential of pet owners. With more and more consumers wishing to pamper their precious pets and innovative companies continually releasing products to take advantage of this spending boom on pets, it is of great significance to understand the secrets to win over modern pet owners.

We surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. pet owners between July to August 2020 to study shopping behaviors surrounding their pets, their lifestyle as pet owners, pet-tech usage, social media consumption, and their opinions, emotions, and sentiments as pet owners. This study reflects burgeoning trends reshaping the pet care industry such as increasing humanization of pets, growing awareness of pet mental wellness, technology-centric pet products, and more.

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Insights

Below are the 10 most exciting insights from the survey, selected from the hundreds of insights we uncovered by leveraging Segmanta. Discover the data supporting each insight using Segmanta’s live, interactive analytics dashboard to uncover insights of pet owners who voice their opinions on various subjects. You can also click here to take the survey and experience Segmanta’s research capabilities first hand.

Gen Z consumers are more likely to purchase pet tech products for entertainment purposes, compared to older pet owners who are more likely to purchase pet tech for safety reasons. As the generation most aware of mental wellness, Gen Z-ers may see the value of pet tech as a source of mental and physical stimulation for their stressed or bored pets.

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48% of pet owners describe their pets as beloved family members, while 29% view their four-legged companions as their own child. Interestingly, only 11% of pet owners place their pets as their best friend, challenging traditional dynamics between humans and their pets.

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Dogs and cats are indeed adorable, but nonetheless they need their humans’ help to stay healthy, clean, and happy. Most respondents don’t feel overwhelmed when it comes to the amount of daily effort required to care for their pets, including tidying up(rated 2.3/5), medical care (2.2/5), managing noise levels (1.9/5), and home damage (1.9/5).

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Purina was the most popular brand among pet owners in the U.S. with more than 41% choosing it as their preferred pet food brand. Amongst Purina lovers, there was a considerable number of pet owners who own both dogs and cats, with 72% owning cats, and 65% owning dogs. Cat-only owners are 76% more likely to prefer Purina brands compared to dog-only owners.

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Content showcasing “hilarious pets” was elected the most popular pet-related content on social media. Notably, Gen Z pet owners are more likely to be active followers of story-focused types of content, such as charity/pet adoption and inspiring animal rescue stories.

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Some say pets reflect the personalities of their owners. Our study suggests that pet owners also have a preference for pet types according to their character. Extroverts appreciate the energy of dogs and the outdoor time spent together while introverts love the indoor companionship from felines.

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Humanizing pets is redefining pet owners’ purchasing habits. 67% of pet owners say they celebrated their pet’s birthday. Gen Z-ers are by far the most likely generation to do so (81%), in addition to dressing their pets for birthdays, holidays, and other festive occasions (42%).

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77% of adopted pets have microchips, compared to only 39% of pets who were received as gifts. Many animal welfare organizations that give pets up for adoption implant microchips in order to register the pets to their new owners.

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Women are 51% more likely to follow narrative content about pets, such as rescue missions. They are also 49% more likely to follow animal adoption content on social media compared to men, emphasizing that emotional, heart-touching pet stories are more likely to resonate with the female audience.

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It is quite unexpected to see that despite the age, gender, and character of pet owners, “loving”, “sweet”, and “playful” are the same top three picks of adjectives when asked to describe their pets’ personalities. The affection, joy, and companionship that pets selflessly express are interpreted similarly amongst U.S. pet owners.

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Complete Survey Results
See the complete results of our The Secret Life Of Pets 2020 Survey, including more about consumer behaviors surrounding their pets, their lifestyle as pet owners, pet-tech usage, social media consumption, and their opinions, emotions, and sentiments as pet owners. Click any question block to access the ‘live’ analytics on our interactive and collaborative dashboard, where you can further explore survey insights and create your own.
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