Page 16 - PET worldwide issue 01/2023

Markets

Pets as a cost factor?

The American Pet Products Association (APPA) has published a

study looking at how the economic situation is impacting pet
owning in the USA.

The APPA pulse survey was con- worsen in the next 12 months, What pet owners said
ducted in two waves in June and with 75 per cent believing that Pet owners in particular appeared
September last year, using an on- it was heading for a recession. increasingly optimistic with regard
line questionnaire. Slightly more These figures declined in Sep- to supply chain and staffing is-
than 2 000 respondents were tember to 60 and 69 per cent, sues. Slightly more than a third
involved in each case, including respectively. Furthermore, there of respondents expressed con-
people who don’t own any pets. was an increase in the percent- cern regarding these problems,
as compared with 43 per cent in
June. When it came to spending
on pets, the percentage who said
that they had spent more in the
last month increased from 31
per cent in June to 36 per cent
in September. At the same time,
the percentage spending less
had fallen marginally from 20
per cent in June to 19 per cent
in September. The percentage
of people admitting to stocking
up on pet requisites increased in
every category and especially for
pet food.
The study also shows changes
due to the current economic situ-
ation, however. The percentage
of respondents whose pet own-
ing was influenced by the pre-
sent situation rose from 21 per
Over 50 per cent of respondents The results of the study show age of respondents who thought cent in June to 26 per cent in
said that they bought in a store. some interesting changes in atti- that they would be in a better September. A higher proportion
tudes and behaviour in the three place financially in a year’s time indicated that the impact was
months between the two surveys than now. positive (17 per cent), however,
undertaken in the study: for ex- The percentage of pet owners resulting in the acquisition of a
ample, concern regarding the who had as many pets in Septem- new pet for 15 per cent of those
trend in the economy lessened ber as they had three months pre- surveyed.
for all respondents. In June, viously was unchanged at 73 per 32 per cent of respondents in
71 per cent of those surveyed cent. And 20 per cent stated that the Generation Z group, followed
agreed that the economy would they had more pets than before. by 27 per cent of millennials,

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