Pet cooling craze highlights the growing trend in premium pet care
This summer has been scorching hot! Pets need to stay cool in the heat just like us. On Xiaohongshu, there are over 70,000 posts about keeping pets cool, with pet cooling mats becoming essential items for the hot season.
Notes about pet cooling methods and product recommandations on Xiaohongshu.
On Pinduoduo, a search for pet cooling mats reveals numerous basic models priced under ￥10 ($1.4), with some listings showing that 1 million or even 2 million units have already been sold. Image: Pinduoduo
Other pet cooling products include cooling neck wraps/collars, sun protection/ice shirts, air-conditioned pet houses, and cooling fans. Image: Taobao
It’s not just cats and dogs that need to stay cool in the summer—small pets like hamsters also need relief from the heat. Carno (卡诺), as one of the leading brands in the small pet market, specializes in one-stop shopping for small pet products. The brand ranked first in the small and exotic pets category during last year's Tmall Double 11 sales period, with annual sales surpassing ￥100 million ($14 million). In 2019, Carno began developing summer cooling products for small pets, launching popular items like crystal stone cooling mats and ceramic cheese-shaped cooling nests.
Carno's crystal stone cooling mats, for hamster. Image: Carno’s flagship store on Pinduoduo
Carno's cloud-shape cooling pads and small cooling house for hamster. Image: Carno’s flagship store on Pinduoduo
The pet cooling market has been experiencing explosive growth for the past two years. According to data from Taobao and Tmall, sales of pet sun protection and cooling apparel in July 2022 increased by over 500% year-on-year, while sales of pet cooling mats and pads grew by more than 200%. Since then, the production and sales of cooling products for cats and dogs have been heating up each year, starting in March and April, with the peak sales season occurring from May to July.
The market size for pet supplies in China grew from ￥25.5 billion ($3.6 billion) in 2018 to ￥40.3 billion ($5.6 billion) in 2022, with a CAGR of 12.1% according to Petdata (派读宠物大数据). The market is expected to reach ￥68.5 billion ($9.6 billion) by 2027. As pets are increasingly seen as family members and companions, their lifestyles are becoming more human-like, driving the growth of the entire pet-related industry, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, and even funeral services.
As we mentioned earlier, the arrival of summer heat has seen the demand for pet cooling products surge. Functional and good-looking cooling mats, pads, and apparel have created seasonal opportunities in the pet supplies market. Additionally, pet products are increasingly merging with home decor and interior design trends, becoming a part of pet owners' home aesthetics and lifestyle choices. Brands are not only focusing on product design and functionality but also on satisfying the emotional needs of pet owners, opening up new growth opportunities in the pet supplies market.
The pet supplies brand zeze, with the slogan "Joyful Life for Pets and People," has created a line of pet products that combine soothing colours with playful designs. Their interactive toys and devices not only keep pets entertained but also double as stylish home decor pieces, with an average price exceeding ￥100 ($14). These products are photogenic and help create an ideal pet-friendly lifestyle, making them highly shareable on social media. Image: Xiaohongshu @zeze
As summer fades, the discussion around pet cooling products will gradually cool down as well. However, the trend of upgrading pet consumption will only become more pronounced. Who knows what new and exciting cooling gadgets for pets will hit the market next summer? It’s something to look forward to.
