Pet pampering produces pretty penny

Zongzi is held by her human companion among several other cats, eagerly awaiting her turn to be washed and groomed, for her knotted fur has become an irritation.

Her companion, Gloria Nan of the post-1990 demographic, soon after walks away from the pet groomers, perhaps to do some shopping. When Nan returns, Zongzi looks and feels great, and is waiting for her owner to come back with a big feline grin.

Such scenes have become increasingly typical in pet shops across China, where consumers are willing to spend decent money on pet-related services, including pet grooming, hygienic care and even something akin to makeovers.

"In recent years, with rises in China's per capita disposable income and consumption upgrades, the country's pet grooming market has become a relatively mature and robust derivative sector. The sector has few barriers to entry, yet it exhibits fierce competition," said Li Xue, millennial founder of Loving Care International Pet Medical Center, a high-end Beijing-based pet care chain.

On Jan 18, the China Animal Agriculture Association and Shandong province-based pet information platform Pethadoop jointly issued the"2021 Pet Industry White Paper". It said that in recent years, a growing group of consumers fond of pets has spurred the sector in China. Among pet-related consumption, pet food expenses waned while downstream segments like grooming ratcheted up. In 2021, the latter's penetration rate amounted to 54 percent, up 13 percentage points on a yearly basis.

"Such a positive trend reveals the trend of new-generation consumers, mainly young, who make up nearly half of total pet owners in China today. They are highly educated and well paid, thus enjoying greater consumption power. About 90 percent of them are college graduates, and one-third make at least 10,000 yuan ($1,570) each month," the document said.

"With grooming costing 300 yuan per visit, just a few times a year, it is affordable. Moreover, they regard pets as family members rather than accessories－a characteristic that could stimulate more spending on derivative services," it added.

"The price of grooming varies among different breeds, but as long as we take pets as our family members, we will not hesitate to clean and pamper them if they have such a need," said Nan, Zongzi's owner.

The 30-something engineer said that the pet grooming industry is serving not only pets but also their human "parents", for they are the deciders of the services rendered. As the industry grows, owners can now enjoy one-stop services such as healthcare, grooming and shopping at pet hospitals or shops.

The white paper also pointed out that in 2021, people's preferences for grooming pets at animal hospitals and pet stores rose while home grooming fell to 19.7 percent. Reasons given include fear of inadvertently hurting the animals or being scratched or nipped at home, thus many owners think it safer and more convenient to have their pets groomed by professionals.

Li of Loving Care International, who owns five dogs, said, "Once people establish emotional bonds with pets, they can hardly ignore them, and are prone to make every decision about pets very cautiously."

Qiang Lin, a medical practitioner that has been in the industry for over 20 years, said: "With such ties tightening, the grooming market seems to embrace more opportunities. Unlike the pet vaccine segment, it is witnessing more homegrown companies in competition. As a noncore sector, grooming services and facilities are accepted and more welcomed by pet owners."

Undoubtedly, the pet grooming sector in China is quite promising, as public attitudes toward raising pets are becoming more open and accepting. The sector awaits to be further tapped into, Qiang said.

However, efforts including tightening supervision and lifting operational standards are needed to further regulate the market and ensure its healthy and sustainable development, market insiders said.

Kaifusai Julaiti contributed to this story.