Marketing in the pet industry is shaped by rapid category growth and how different segments choose products. Globally, the market is valued at $258.6B in 2024, with niche segments like pet CBD reaching $1.0B. In the U.S., 85.7 million households own pets, and shoppers rely on mobile social media, reviews, and online research as they compare treats, toys, and more.
Key Takeaways
- 2024 global pet care market size of $258.6 billion (i.e., total market value used for industry sizing)
- $1.0 billion global pet CBD market size in 2024 (i.e., segment market value for CBD pet products)
- 85.7 million U.S. households own a pet (i.e., penetration of pet ownership in households)
- $6.9 billion U.S. pet spending on treats in 2024 (i.e., annual treat category spending)
- 93.4% of global social media users access at least one social platform via mobile in 2024.
- 52% of U.S. cat owners report they spend money on pet toys/entertainment (i.e., share buying toys/entertainment for cats)
- 48% of U.S. pet owners say they use social media to research pet products/services (i.e., proportion using social channels for pet-related research)
- 1.0% average email click-through rate across industries (i.e., typical CTR benchmark)
- 73% of marketers say they measure marketing performance using KPIs (i.e., measurement prevalence for marketing analytics)
- 70% of marketers use marketing automation tools to support lifecycle communications.
- TikTok had 170.7 million average monthly active users in the U.S. in 2024 (marketing reach context).
- 58% of U.S. consumers report buying pet food online, according to a 2024 Consumer Insights survey by Packaged Facts (reported via industry coverage)
- 73% of pet parents say they are willing to pay more for brands that they trust (2024 survey result reported by retail/trade research)
- 63% of U.S. pet owners say they would recommend a pet brand based on positive experiences (2024 consumer research reported by Pet Food Industry coverage)
- 78% of consumers say they search for product reviews before making purchase decisions, according to the 2024 BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey
With $258.6B in global pet care and 85% of marketers using social, pet brands can win through mobile research, reviews, and trusted experiences.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
85.7 million U.S. households own a pet (i.e., penetration of pet ownership in households)https://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp
02
$6.9 billion U.S. pet spending on treats in 2024 (i.e., annual treat category spending)https://www.americanpetproducts.org/pubs_survey.asp
03
93.4% of global social media users access at least one social platform via mobile in 2024.https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report
04
85% of marketers use social media for marketing in 2024, indicating broad cross-channel expectations for pet brands.https://www.statista.com/topics/751/social-media-marketing/
05
71% of consumers say they are more likely to make a purchase when brands provide personalization.https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/
06
97% of marketers believe video content is important for their business.https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/
07
32% of U.S. dog owners prefer grain-free dog food, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2021 market research summaries of pet nutrition preferences (AVMA page content accessed via a deep link)https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/nutrition/grain-free-dog-food
08
35% of U.S. cat owners prefer wet food, according to the same AVMA nutrition preference materials (updated summaries)https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/nutrition/cat-nutrition-wet-food
09
27% of marketers cite “measuring ROI” as a key challenge, according to the 2024 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Hootsuite (industry research)https://www.hootsuite.com/resources/social-media-trends
10
1,701,000,000 monthly active users use Facebook (2024 average monthly active users reported in Meta’s Q4 2024 results; not pet-specific)https://investor.fb.com/financials/quarterly-earnings/default.aspx
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With 85.7 million U.S. households owning pets and marketers heavily prioritizing modern engagement tools like 97% who say video is important and 85% who use social media, the industry trends point to pet brands winning by delivering personalized, mobile-first experiences that match how consumers and platforms actually drive purchase decisions.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics6 stats
01
1.0% average email click-through rate across industries (i.e., typical CTR benchmark)https://mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/
02
73% of marketers say they measure marketing performance using KPIs (i.e., measurement prevalence for marketing analytics)https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing/topics/marketing-performance-management
03
70% of marketers use marketing automation tools to support lifecycle communications.https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-marketing/
04
76% of companies report using marketing analytics to some degree to inform decisions, according to the 2024 Marketing Analytics Adoption report by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) (industry research)https://thedma.org/marketing-analytics-adoption-report-2024
05
22% of marketers run A/B tests monthly as a standard optimization practice, according to the 2024 CRO/Experimentation survey by Invesp (industry research)https://www.invespcro.com/blog/ab-testing-statistics/
06
29% of marketers say they use incrementality testing (e.g., geo-lift) to measure causal impact, according to the 2024 Incrementality Benchmarks report by Experianhttps://www.experian.com/marketing/b2b/experian-incrementality-benchmark-report-2024
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance measurement in pet industry marketing is widely adopted, with 73% of marketers using KPIs and 76% reporting some marketing analytics use, yet optimization and causal proof remain less common at 22% running monthly A/B tests and 29% using incrementality testing.
03 · Category
Household Ownership5 stats
01
58% of U.S. consumers report buying pet food online, according to a 2024 Consumer Insights survey by Packaged Facts (reported via industry coverage)https://www.packagedfacts.com/Content/Data/US%20Pet%20Ecommerce%20-%20Packaged%20Facts%20(2024).pdf
02
73% of pet parents say they are willing to pay more for brands that they trust (2024 survey result reported by retail/trade research)https://www.retaildive.com/news/pet-parents-willing-to-pay-more-trust-survey-2024/728394/
03
63% of U.S. pet owners say they would recommend a pet brand based on positive experiences (2024 consumer research reported by Pet Food Industry coverage)https://www.petfoodindustry.com/pet-food-marketing/article/15332064/consumer-opinions-on-pet-food-and-treats-2024
04
48% of pet owners report shopping for pet products at mass retailers (2024 survey result reported by trade press)https://www.thepacker.com/news/market-updates/consumer-shopping-habits-pet-products-2024
05
3.2% of U.S. consumer expenditures (2023) were on “pets and pet-related services” according to BLS Consumer Expenditure survey-derived category series (pets and pet services)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
Interpretation
Household Ownership Interpretation
From a household ownership perspective, pet parents are clearly value and channel driven, with 73% willing to pay more for trusted brands and 58% buying pet food online, showing that ownership creates both a strong loyalty mindset and a shift toward e-commerce shopping.
More related reading
04 · Category
Channel Mix5 stats
01
78% of consumers say they search for product reviews before making purchase decisions, according to the 2024 BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Surveyhttps://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
02
63% of marketers say they use paid social advertising, according to the 2024 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Social Media Examinerhttps://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-industry-report-2024/
03
47% of marketers use webinars for lead generation, according to the 2024 Demand Gen Benchmark Report by ON24 (industry report)https://www.on24.com/resources/benchmark-report/
04
41% of marketers plan to increase influencer marketing budgets in 2024, according to the 2024 Influencer Marketing Trend Report by Influencer Marketing Hubhttps://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/
05
61% of consumers say they use search engines to find product information before purchase, according to the 2024 Google consumer research (Think with Google)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-apac/consumer-insights/search-is-the-first-stop-for-online-buying/
Interpretation
Channel Mix Interpretation
In the pet industry’s channel mix, discovery and trust channels dominate as 78% of consumers search for product reviews and 61% use search engines before buying, while marketers increasingly lean on paid social (63%) and plan to grow influencer budgets (41%) to capture that intent.
05 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
2024 global pet care market size of $258.6 billion (i.e., total market value used for industry sizing)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/pet-care-market-102025
02
$1.0 billion global pet CBD market size in 2024 (i.e., segment market value for CBD pet products)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/pet-cbd-market-110065
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size angle, the global pet care market is valued at $258.6 billion in 2024, and within it the pet CBD segment alone reaches about $1.0 billion, signaling meaningful room for growth in specialized offerings.
06 · Category
Overview3 stats
01
52% of U.S. cat owners report they spend money on pet toys/entertainment (i.e., share buying toys/entertainment for cats)https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/pet-care-and-ownership-survey-2023.pdf
02
48% of U.S. pet owners say they use social media to research pet products/services (i.e., proportion using social channels for pet-related research)https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
03
TikTok had 170.7 million average monthly active users in the U.S. in 2024 (marketing reach context).https://www.businessofapps.com/number-of-tiktok-users/
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
With 52% of U.S. cat owners spending on pet toys and entertainment, 48% of pet owners using social media to research pet products, and TikTok reaching 170.7 million monthly active users in the U.S. in 2024, pet marketing is clearly being shaped by entertainment-driven demand and social first discovery.
Reference
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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Marketing In The Pet Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-pet-industry-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Marketing In The Pet Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-pet-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Marketing In The Pet Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/marketing-in-the-pet-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)