At present, people's concept of pet raising has undergone a profound change, and pets have gradually evolved from practical functions such as traditional caretakers to emotional partners and family members, and pets have become an indispensable part of many families.
With the increasing number of pet families, especially young women in high-tier cities, the rise of new concepts of pet raising has given rise to the demand for refined pet care.
This trend has not only driven the boom in the pet consumer market, but also prompted the design of community environments and living spaces to be more pet-friendly. Real estate companies are also increasingly focusing on exploring how to incorporate more pet-friendly elements into community design to meet the needs of pet families.
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The number of pet families is gradually increasing
Young women in high-tier cities are the main force of pet raising
With the development of the times, people's concept of pet raising is undergoing a profound change. In the past, pet raising was often based on practical functions, and "pets" were often regarded as animals with specific functions, such as caring for homes and homes, catching rodents and eliminating pests. However, now the status of "pets" in the minds of pet owners is gradually rising, and more and more people are beginning to regard "pets" as a member of the family, or even as an emotional partner.
The number of pet families is rising. According to the "2023-2024 China Pet Industry Green Book" report, the scale of China's pet population continues to grow, and the number of pet families has exceeded 98 million in 2022, and it is expected to exceed 100 million in 2023. Despite this, the penetration rate of pet households in China is only 22%, compared to 70% in the United States and 57% in Australia, there is still plenty of room for growth. In the field of pet consumption, the average annual consumption of a single pet by Chinese pet families has shown an upward trend year by year, especially the consumption of dogs and cats.
According to the "2024 Pet Trend Report" released by Douyin, women account for a high proportion of pet products consumers, mainly aged 18 to 35 years old, mainly distributed in new first-tier and second-tier cities with strong economic vitality and high quality of life. The portrait of the core group is dominated by cutting-edge white-collar workers and senior middle-class workers, who have high requirements for the quality, functionality and design of pet products.
Figure: Portrait of the pet category
Data source: From January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, the transaction data of Douyin Mall
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The new concept of pet raising has given rise to the demand for refined pet raising
Brands connect consumers with "pets".
With the improvement of the living standards of pet groups and the continuous pursuit of quality of life, pet groups pay more and more attention to the quality of life and emotional needs of pets, and new concepts such as scientific pet raising, friendly pet raising, exquisite pet raising and intelligent pet raising have emerged. According to the statistics of Douyin, scientific pet raising and friendly pet raising have the highest keyword mention rate.
Pictured: The new concept of pet raising
Source: Feigua Data, January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023
Douyin e-commerce pet industry "pet concept" content mention rate statistics
The new concept of pet raising reflects the increasing demand of pet owners for refined pet care under the premise of living together and sharing living space. Pet owners have put forward more diversified needs for daily cleaning and care of pets, health management and "anthropomorphic pet raising".
Based on the increasingly close emotional connection between humans and pets, "spending time with pets" has become a new trend. Whether it is a pet brand or other consumer brands, they have taken "cute pets" as the starting point, with the help of "pets" to create a scene experience of people and pets living together, to better establish contact with consumers and promote consumption. For example, the first batch of pet-friendly stores of Bawang Chaji were recently announced to be officially opened; Atour Hotel made its debut in the E2 Pavilion of the Asian Pet Exhibition, moved its pet-friendly suites to the exhibition site, and arranged pet-friendly room models and interactive experience areas in the exhibition area.
Shopping malls are also making efforts to become "pet-friendly", and pet-friendly shopping malls are gradually increasing in major cities in China, becoming a major trend in commercial development. According to incomplete statistics, more than 100 shopping malls across the country have achieved pet-friendly. Specifically, there are more than 50 pet-friendly shopping malls in Shenzhen, more than 30 in Shanghai and Hangzhou, and more than 20 in Chengdu that offer pet-friendly facilities and services. Not only are these malls pet-friendly, but they also offer a range of pet-friendly facilities and services, such as pet strollers, pet elevators, pet toilets, and more, to enhance the shopping experience for pets and pet owners.
For example, HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai has been upgraded to a pet-friendly scene this summer, with outdoor spaces such as the South Garden and Roof Garden being opened as pet-friendly gardens, opening up new green spaces for pet walking activities in the heart of the city with high-rise buildings.
At the same time, the concierge desk on the LG1 floor has also launched pet-friendly services to provide pet cleaning supplies, pet carriers and other items to consumers in need to meet the different needs of pets outside.
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What are the practices of real estate companies in building pet-friendly communities?
Under the trend of "living with pets and pets" and raising pets more and more refined, real estate companies are also paying more and more attention to how to integrate more pet-friendly elements into community design. On the one hand, through the meticulous design of pet-friendly spaces and the setting of pet-themed communities, real estate companies create a harmonious and inclusive living environment for pet families; On the other hand, through the well-planned pet-friendly circulation, the travel options of residents and their pets are further enriched.
In 2024, Shanghai Greentown will explore the practice of "pet and home" beautiful life scene, and in Shanghai Chunxiao Garden, Greentown will use pets as the carrier to create a harmonious living space for people and pets through the creation of Rose Cat Cafe space, the concept of Carafoy IP image, and pet social community activities.
In the design of the pet-friendly community, Shanghai Greentown carefully considered how to balance the needs of people and pets. In view of the localized characteristics of Shanghai's rainy days, a nearly kilometer wind and rain corridor has been created in the Chunxiaoyuan project, which is very intimate design, and walking cats and dogs is no longer limited by the weather.
Through the establishment of the pet theme overhead layer, the "extension of pet space" is realized. While expanding the living area of pets, it also promotes interaction and communication between neighbors.
In addition, Shanghai Chunxiaoyuan has set up a pet-themed cute pet club, which has become an important platform for pet lovers and pet owners, providing community members with opportunities for communication and entertainment through regular pet games, pet grooming, talent competitions and other forms, and actively advocating the concept of harmonious coexistence between people and pets.
Shanghai Vanke ZTE has deliberately set up a pet-friendly circulation line, which is a pure outdoor circulation line. With the concept of Mansion Garden, Zhongxing Proud House uses modern techniques to create a community high-line park, forming three major gardens: Flower Gallery Garden, Art Garden and Emerald Garden. The pet-friendly circulation route can be reached from the High Line Park to the Central Park on the first floor through an outdoor bridge and outdoor landscaped staircase, providing residents and their pets with a variety of travel options.
summary
Real estate companies explore and practice the construction of pet-friendly communities, and enhance the living experience of pet-raising families through meticulous space design and rich community activities. However, the usage rate of pet-themed interactive spaces in the community and whether the pet-friendly design really meets the needs of pet families are still topics that need to be further explored in the future.
When designing pet-friendly communities, real estate companies can also make more innovations in details, such as setting up special pet drinking basins and owner's sinks, reasonably planning pet circulation lines and signs, and choosing to plant pet-friendly plants to promote the harmonious coexistence of people and pets. (Source: CRIC Product Evaluation)