Here’s What’s Going to Take Over The Pet Industry in 2024…

I’ve been doing this whole “pet” thing for a long time.  I don’t mean just owning a pet.  I mean really devoting every waking second of my life to my dog, Maxine.  Since 2015, I’ve ignored everything else in my life for the sake of my dog.  Before influencers were a thing, and well-before the creator economy was a thing, for better or worse, I focused all my time on this little chonk because of the joy she brought me.  I wanted to buy her the best, give her the best, and bring her everywhere. Luckily, social media and the pet industry caught up with me, and now more than ever, all anyone ever wants to do is spend time with their pet and bring them everywhere — and then probably post it online. 

Here are two pretty startling little factoids…

• Sales of pet strollers just passed baby strollers for the first time in Korea. 

• There are now more households with pets than children.

^{Premiumization & Humanization}

The dominant macro trends that will explode in ’24 are premiumization and humanization across  ALL categories.  This will happen across wearables, tech, accessories, food, nutrition…EVERYTHING.  We’re only gonna talk about a few below.

Gone are the days or buying cheap accessories, leaving your dog at home, or treating them like a…well…dog. They’re members of the family.  

So here is a brief list of the trends that I’ve seen slowly rising, and that I think we’re going to see A LOT more of in 2024 and beyond.

The List

#1 Who is Your Dog Wearing?

I’ve seen more dogs in jackets these days than ever before.  Whether you’re into Gorpcore or BarbieCore, functional (and even non-functional) fashion is here and brands are getting in on it. I’m not wild about fashion for fashion’s sake. Which is why I would never pay $1000 for a Gucci Dog Jacket. It needs to be functional and solve a problem. For my money, I go with a brand called Hurtta for their outdoor wear. Nobody does it better than them. They’re a Finnish company that uses premium materials, and I absolutely love the thoughtful design and aesthetics of the products. But be careful, because dog jackets are a real slippery slope. Once you buy a really nice rain jacket, then you start trying all the jackets and I promise your dog won’t like it…

#2 Mi Casa is (actually) my dog’s Casa

Since now there are more dogs than children in the United States, Millennials aren’t just buying homes for their dogs, they’re modifying their homes to give their pets a better life.  Like Teddy with his dope little room under the stairs…

@aguyandagolden

Teddy’s doghouse under the stairs is complete! #diy #fyp #foryou #dog #dogs #dogsoftiktok #goldenretrieverlife #goldenretriever #nowlookatthis

Or Eggnog with his custom bed…

Or the astro turf I added to our terrace so Maxine would have a private little dog park of her own…

Also these folks actually BUILT A HOUSE for their dog…

@chipgirlhere

Reply to @julia_pagliarulo

Home customization will surge in 2024 because after all, it’s not really our house. It’s the dog’s house.

#3 If my dog ain’t comin’, I ain’t goin’.

We want to bring our dogs everywhere.  And we want the best products to do it.  From dog backpacks, to strollers, to car seats, the early birds who innovate thoughtful solutions are gonna get the worm.  In 2023 we saw a fun rise in pet restaurants, pet movie theaters, and lots of other weird (read:gimmicky) upstarts that tout a revolving door for your pet. In my opinion none of that is practical or long-lasting. It’s cute for some PR but as someone who truly wants to bring my dog everywhere, even I don’t want to bring them to the movies or out to dinner. I just want to be able to bring them when I run errands, or have a nice safe place to play.  Which brings me to our next trend that will explode in 2024…

#4 The New Dog Park

They’re popping up everywhere.  Social clubs for pet parents…or the “Soho House” of dog parks — tons of new casual hang outs are popping up all over the country inviting people to come and hang out and bring their dog. A new kind of dog park is catering to communities around the country that want a clean, safe place to hang, meet other pet parents, and enjoy a beer or get some work done.  But who’s doing it best? Bark Social.  This company is rapidly expanding across the country and is serving a best-in-class experience for those who wanna bring their dog.

These trends are going to reverberate across the entire industry. Most specifically food, supplements, pet insurance — anything dealing with health and wellness is already seeing a massive influx of PE, with everyone racing to be the next Zesty Paws for the modern pet parent.  We didn’t really cover that here because it’s a bit early to tell what trends will really catapult the health and wellness category (other than simply premiumization).

Every category will get a facelift, with new entrants innovating, and incumbents moving budgets around when they realize they need to make better products or services to keep up with the demand of the new pet parent.

Welcome to 2024.  This will truly be the year of the dog.

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• 🍎 A teacher in Texas brings his corgi named Banjo to class…every day.

• 🪵 Lost dog rescued after surviving 6 years in the woods?!

Today’s Last Laugh:

Really need to see what Dr. Mitts Tyson, MD looks like…

@figopet

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