In Chongqing, the pet shops around the various districts of the main city are particularly lively on weekends. People who cut nails for pets, bathe, SPA...people of all ages are in an endless stream. Taking care of the dog on weekends and walking the dog at night has become a way of life for many urbanites. However, it is found in the market that although the pet economy in our city is lively, it has not gotten rid of the problems of low profit, no brand, and low-end industry. Where is the "unicorn" of Chongqing in the current blue ocean of pet economy?

How big is the "cake" in the pet toy market? Chengdu alone has a market size of nearly 10 billion yuan

According to the data in the White Paper on China's Pet Industry in 2018, the cities with the highest pet raising rates in China are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Chengdu. According to industry insiders, it is estimated that the overall monthly cost of raising a dog is about 500 to 1,000 yuan, and the annual pet economy scale of Chengdu, which is closer to Chongqing, reaches nearly 10 billion yuan. In recent years, the scale of pet feeding in Chongqing has been increasing year by year, and the pet economy market is also an attractive "cake".

"Duo Duo (dog) was given to me by my cousin two months ago. Today, I came to give him a bath and buy a package of dog food. It would cost him 300 yuan, an average of about 1,000 yuan per month." Li Qiang, who consumes at the Paiduoge pet shop in Mushan, Yorkshire, went to the clothing area again, preparing to buy an "autumn outfit" for Duoduo.

Li Qiang, who just graduated last year, raises a Shiba Inu with a market value of more than 8,000 yuan. She said that she just bought a quilt and a doghouse for Duoduo recently, so this month's expenses will increase a lot. "I try to buy imported things as much as possible. Dog food is the cheapest, 30 yuan a catty, and it costs 5 catties a month; imported mouthwash is a box a month, 110 yuan a box..."

In a few days, 35-year-old He Bao will give away his golden retriever who has been raised for two years. “It’s too expensive to keep pets. Dog food costs 500 yuan a month. Snacks and toys like teething sticks are also very expensive. I have to go to the pet shop to cut and groom the hair in half a month. If you want a good coat color, you need to add trace elements. If the dog is alone at home, he must also turn on the air conditioner..." He Bao probably left it alone. If the dog does not get sick, it will cost 1,500 yuan to "frugally eat" a month. "I also like dogs. The reason for giving away dogs is that apart from the high cost of raising dogs, the main reason is that they are too busy at work. I am worried that I can't take care of them."

The same is a pet. He Bao's dog is short of care, and Jiangbei Aunt Chen takes good care of her dog Niuniu. Since the child was not at home, Aunt Chen raised a Teddy after she retired and brought it with her when she went shopping and grocery shopping. The ingenious Aunt Chen also made clothes for Niuniu. "We have a lot of free time. We do our own dog bathing, hair care, and nail cutting. The money spent on Niuniu is three to five hundred yuan a month, mainly selling snacks and toys."

Why is the pet economy hot? Accompany, entertain, relieve stress

"It's very boring after retirement. Niuniu brings us a lot of joy." Aunt Chen said frankly that her only daughter now lives in Canada. After retiring in 2016, she also traveled everywhere, but she still felt a little lonely. "My peers are all taking grandsons. My grandson is not around. My wife also likes to play chess and write. I didn't play any tricks, so I bought a Teddy."

Aunt Chen said that Niuniu was only three months old when she first bought it. Once I ate ham at home, Niuniu stood up and begged, and stood steady, making the couple laugh. Later, as long as Niuniu wanted to ask for something delicious, she stood up habitually, which was very cute. After discovering Niuniu’s expertise in this area, the couple consciously cultivated and trained. After Niuniu reached 1 year old, they got used to standing up and walking on their hind legs. "It accompanies us to go shopping and grocery shopping every day. It is very likable. Since I have Niuniu, I feel that life has been a lot more fun."

Li Qiang also said that he had raised a golden retriever before and the process of training it was very interesting. "Let it stand while standing, very obedient, and can help me get slippers, very good." In fact, there is a huge group of cute pets around Li Qiang. Many of her friends have cats or dogs. Everyone at the party will take their pets out, more cute and obedient than anyone else's pets. "We have all just graduated, almost all of us are single. Every night when we go home from get off work, the dog jumps up and the fatigue of the day is gone."

Some people keep pets because they first came to Chongqing, hoping to find some sustenance. "I am unfamiliar with my parents and my parents can't see them often. I dare not tell them a lot. Only dogs are my most loyal friends. When I am unhappy, talking to him is better than staying alone." Chen Xin, a young man from Jiangxi who signed the work to Chongqing, said.

How is the Chongqing pet market? The homogeneity of competition highlights no industrial chain

With the increase in the number of pets and the expansion of the pet market, will the pet business be successful? The Paidog pet shop next to Yorkshire in Zhaomushan has been open for less than four months, but the owner Xiao He has already begun to consider whether to sell the shop.

"Before we opened the shop, we conducted investigations. There are more and more pet owners. This should be a very sunny industry. The Bingo pet shop, about 200 meters away from us, was opened by my friend. They have been running pets here for three years. The shop has always been doing good business. Why did you lose money when you came to me?” Xiao He frankly said that a few months ago, he visited many pet shops, which were basically scattered around various communities. "It's all because some friends like pets, and then they opened a shop. The shops are only 50 square meters. I also run a pet shop in this way, but the effect is not good."

Xiao He said that although his shop is small and complete, it not only sells pets, but also sells pet supplies, such as dog food, cat food, snacks, toys, sheds, etc., and provides pet services, including bathing, grooming, SPA, Partial pruning, etc., and foster care services are also provided.

"Recently, I am also reflecting on the reasons for the failure: there is no characteristic of its own, and the homogeneity is too serious." Xiao He said that he found that his store is not very different from those private stores, mainly selling goods and providing services. Now he discovered that those pet shops with better business have been in business for several years and have gained a certain customer base and reputation. "Pet owners also need to communicate with each other, they will recommend these shops to new pet owners. We are new to the shops, naturally, life is difficult."

Business is not doing well. Li Li, the owner of Daping Duoduo Pet Shop, thinks it has been hit by the Internet. Li Li said that young people now have more pets, and they are willing to buy supplies online at low prices and many choices. "Offline pet stores are similar, scattered, without brands, and no industrial chain. They are independent. The pet market is so big, and we must find a way to break through." Li Li said.

The White Paper on China's Pet Industry in 2018 pointed out that the majority of dog owners and cat owners are post-80s and post-90s, accounting for 75% of the pet consumer groups, of which 87.5% are females. These people are often the main force of online shopping.

What did these two quasi-unicorns do?

In recent years, whether domestic or foreign, there is no shortage of leading companies in the pet industry, such as the world's largest comprehensive pet service company PetSmart, my country's Petty shares, known as the "first share of dog food", and the emergence in recent years The new favorite of online dog food sales, "Crazy Puppy", etc. The sales experience and marketing strategies of these companies may provide directions for the development of related companies in Chongqing.

In the "2017 Pet Portrait Report", in the statistics of dog food brands and price distribution, "Crazy Puppy" ranks first in brand transaction volume, which is twice as high as the second and third places than Regis and Royal. many. Data show that in 2017, the sales of "Crazy Puppy" exceeded 320 million yuan, and it is expected to reach 520 million yuan in 2018. From little-known to a "quasi-unicorn" recognized by the market, how can this new brand stand out from many established domestic and foreign merchants?

It is understood that the current "crazy puppies" are mainly distributed in integrated e-commerce sales markets such as Tmall and Jingdong, rather than e-commerce in industries such as Boqi. Obviously, their customer base is mainly novice pet raising. According to the reporter's analysis, the price of "crazy puppies" is relatively low. The general price of a 2 kg bag of dog and wolf is only 30 yuan, while the price of the same amount of royal dog food is about 150 yuan. "Crazy Puppy" adopts the hot "explosive" marketing in recent years, allowing shop owners to promote several cost-effective products to increase the number of fans and product awareness, and then when novices search for "dog food", "Crazy Puppy" "Appear on the homepage, so as to slowly cultivate user habits.

In addition, in terms of sales strategy, "Crazy Puppy" also caters to the consumer outlook of young users. Most of the products are economical and general-purpose, so that novices don't bother to choose dog food. It is worth mentioning that "Crazy Puppy" is mainly operated through the WeChat official account, spreading on the theme of fun life and popular science knowledge, which increases the stickiness between customers and the brand.

Ruipeng shares focus on pet hospitals. At present, Ruipeng has more than 200 directly-operated branches across the country, making it the pet hospital with the most directly-operated stores in China. The business scope covers pet medical care, beauty styling, indwelling care, bathing, SPA, food and supplies, etc. At the same time, PetSmart of the United States supplemented the gaps in its pet medical field through the acquisition of Banfield, the largest private pet hospital in the United States, promoted the integration of the upstream and downstream of the pet industry chain, expanded its pet industry territory, and eventually became the world's largest comprehensive pet service. the company.

E-commerce + community thinking can be used to capture customer psychology

"Pet necessities are available online and offline. To do a good job in pet economy, it may depend on selling food and clothing products. It is still lacking." Li Mingxing, founder of an Internet technology company in Chongqing, said that he is using WeChat platform to develop a pet with social functions. WeChat applet.

The well-known financial critic Yu Fenghui said that in recent years, Chongqing's economy has grown rapidly, and the pet market has shown an upgrade in consumption. "The pet market is originally small and fragmented, and the emergence of'unicorns' will take some time to gradually become prominent. But in the Internet era, mobile e-commerce thinking is particularly important. Community e-commerce and community e-commerce are both good ways." Yu Fenghui said, for example, telemedicine can be used not only on people, but also in the pet field. Big data and artificial intelligence technologies have been highlighted, and these technologies can also be used in the pet field.

In Yu Fenghui's view, the domestic pet industry has just developed and there are still many problems. "Many cat food and dog food are of inferior quality and high price. Many pet shops and pet hospitals have problems with services and qualifications." However, problems are often opportunities. "If Chongqing enterprises can make products with guaranteed quality, they will win the opportunity."

Li Guangdou, a well-known brand strategy expert, believes that the development of the foreign pet industry is relatively early and it has certain reference significance. Offline stores mainly provide services such as beauty, SPA, and foster care, while online stores mainly provide a communication platform for pet owners. "Behind pets are people. To do a good job in pet economy, we must pay more attention to the groups who pay for pets and analyze their consumption habits and consumer psychology." With the development of the Internet, "Internet +" is the development trend. Group + e-commerce will have more development prospects. In addition, brand culture, brand building, and the construction of upstream and downstream industrial chains are also worthy of consideration.