When Pet Food Begins To Understand Its Owners: The Business Strategy Hidden in Packaging
Jul 21, 2025| When pet food begins to "understand" its owners: The business strategy hidden in packaging
As the "it economy" continues to heat up, humanized services for pets are emerging endlessly, such as pet weddings, pet-friendly hotels, dedicated high-speed trains, and pet travel groups. All of these point to the same trend - the relationship between pets and humans has long surpassed simple companionship, and they have become indispensable family members in many people's lives. This emotional projection is driving the pet economy to continue to grow, with various humanized services emerging endlessly, from pet weddings to pet-friendly hotels. And as the most basic need in pets' daily lives, food consumption remains the core component of this market.
According to the "White Paper on China's Pet Industry in 2025", the urban pet consumption market scale has exceeded 300 billion yuan in 2024, and is expected to reach 331.1 billion yuan in 2025. Among them, pet food, as a high-frequency and rigid demand, accounts for more than 40%, equivalent to over 300 million times of food opening actions happening across the country every day.
However, within this vast market, the packaging issues of pet food have been consistently overlooked, becoming a focal point of complaints from many pet owners. For instance, when opening bagged food, if scissors are not available, one has to tear it manually, resulting in uneven tears or food scattered all over the floor; wet food packaging is even more prone to juice splashes, leaving hands and clothes covered in mess; if the seal is not properly maintained after opening, it can lead to food spoilage due to moisture, not only wasting food but also potentially affecting pet health. These issues may seem trivial, but they genuinely impact the experience of pet owners and may even leave a negative impression on them towards the brand.
In fact, the issue with pet food packaging fundamentally stems from the neglect of pet owners' genuine needs. Nowadays, pet owners are increasingly prioritizing the quality of life. They desire a more effortless and enjoyable pet care experience, rather than being overwhelmed by packaging challenges. When pet owners treat their pets as family members, they naturally expect pet food packaging to be as thoughtful and convenient as human food packaging. Clearly, packaging that is poorly designed and inconvenient to use has fallen behind this trend of consumption upgrading.
To address these issues, pet food packaging needs to innovate towards a more humanized direction.
Firstly, convenience is key. Pet owners often feed their pets with one hand, especially during the busy morning and evening hours. Therefore, the opening and closing design of the packaging must be simple and effortless, allowing pet owners to easily open and seal it to avoid spills. For example, optimizing the tear-off design to make it easier to tear and less prone to deformation, or adopting a more convenient sealing method to simplify storage after opening.
Secondly, the preservation function cannot be overlooked. The freshness of pet food is directly related to the health of pets. The packaging needs to effectively isolate air and moisture, delaying food spoilage. Whether it is dry or wet food, appropriate packaging materials and structures need to be designed according to its characteristics to ensure that it maintains good quality after opening, reducing waste and health hazards.
More importantly, packaging can also incorporate emotional elements. It can reflect care for pets and pet owners in its design, such as adding practical information like feeding amount reminders and remaining amount observation windows, or incorporating some warm words to turn the daily action of opening the bag into a warm interaction. This emotional design can make pet owners feel the brand's care, thereby enhancing their affection and trust in the brand.
Nowadays, pet food packaging is no longer just a container for holding food; it serves as a bridge between brands and pet owners, and is a crucial element in enhancing the consumer experience. Packaging designs that can identify the pain points of pet owners and continuously innovate are redefining the consumer experience of pet food and will occupy a more advantageous position in the fierce market competition. With the continuous development of the pet economy, it is believed that more brands will realize the importance of packaging, driving the entire industry towards a more considerate and superior direction.