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Yesterday, the 5th Pet Expo came to a successful conclusion at the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center. The exhibition scale and number of exhibitors and visitors of this year's CIIE have reached a new high, with an exhibition area of over 100000 square meters, attracting 1200 exhibitors and more than 8000 brands to participate. Pet owners dragging suitcases to sweep goods, live streaming hosts holding live streaming equipment, and distributors carefully comparing product ingredients, together demonstrate the vigorous vitality of Shanghai as the core engine of China's pet economy, and also reflect the upgrading and transformation of China's pet consumption market.

Pet consumption innovation: Products and services focus more on technology, quality, and humanistic needs

This year's CIIE has moved for the first time to the world's largest exhibition complex, the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center, with an exhibition area of 106000 square meters, an increase of over 40% compared to previous years. The exhibition area plan covers the entire industry chain of pet food, supplies, healthcare, intelligent technology, etc., and adds two new sections: "Exquisite Pet Care Life" and "Intelligent Technology Pet Care", accurately matching consumers' demand for quality and technological pet care.

The reporter saw at the exhibition that innovative products such as smart water dispensers, AI health monitoring devices, and customized pet food were showcased, demonstrating the trend of the pet industry's transformation from basic consumption to technology driven. From freeze-dried snacks to raw meat and bones, from cats and dogs to hamsters and lizards, the pet industry is developing towards diversification. The variety of pets is increasing, and high-tech is deeply empowering the pet related industry, sparking a new wave of pet consumption revolution.

As the host city of this year's CIIE, Shanghai is one of the most dynamic cities in China in terms of consumption, with over 1 million pet dogs and 1.2 million pet cats. The pet consumption market has enormous potential. The pursuit of high-quality living by Shanghai citizens has led to a gradual shift in pet consumption from basic needs to technological, quality-oriented, and humanistic directions, providing vast growth opportunities for the pet economy.

For example, at this year's IT Expo, the "IT Universe New Plan" block became the annual new product launch site, attracting brands to compete in launching high-end functional products; Royal Pet Food has launched cross-border activities such as "Milk Fufu Kindergarten"; All proceeds from the charity joint ticket launched by Tmall Global and Disney will be used for rescuing stray animals; The "Promise Archive Room" specially planned for the Expo uses immersive scenes to recreate the promises of people and pets accompanying each other, triggering emotional resonance among the audience; Activities such as night parties and pet city orienteering competitions break through traditional exhibition boundaries and create new social scenes.

The reporter also noticed that the number of exhibitors in specialized fields such as veterinary services for pet health, environmentally friendly cat litter, and pet funerals has surged, reflecting consumers' emphasis on caring for pets throughout their entire life cycle. With the improvement of living standards, modern urbanites have upgraded their pet raising from "leftover food feeding" to "tiered customization", and the demand for pet raising consumption is shifting from "basic feeding" to "scientific maintenance". In this process, the deep integration of commercial value and social responsibility promotes the upgrading of the relationship between humans and pets towards emotional influence and ritual sense.

Pet travel is also one of the topics that many consumers are concerned about. At this year's expo, a "long eared ride hailing fleet" was also quite eye-catching. This Didi pet travel guarantee fleet consists of two types of vehicles, express and private, with cat elements integrated into both the exterior and interior, making it full of cuteness and fun. It is reported that Didi's pet travel service will be officially launched in November 2024, currently offering two types of services: express and private. Among them, the pet express has been launched in more than 300 cities across the country; Pet specific vehicles are being implemented in 49 cities, providing services such as one-time replacement of specialized urine pads, single disinfection and ventilation, and comprehensive hair removal and cleaning. As of now, over a million pets have completed file registration on Didi.

Didi Pet Travel Guarantee Fleet Waiting for Pick Up

In response to the concerns of many consumers about the issue of multiple pets and long-distance driving, Zhou Yunyi, the head of growth at Didi Pet Travel, stated in an interview with reporters that many functions of Didi Pet Travel are currently being iterated, including the situation where passengers carry multiple pets. In the future, when users fill in pet information, they can increase the number of pets, making it more reliable for drivers to accept orders and enhancing the certainty of using the car. Regarding the issue of long-distance transportation for pet carrying users, Zhou Yunyi also stated that pet travel is trying to connect with ride hailing services, and in the future, is also considering expanding the broadcasting radius to increase the acceptance rate for long-distance orders.

Industry insiders believe that the pet economy is not only a commercial growth point, but also a reflection of urban soft power. Currently, Shanghai is continuously improving the level of refined pet management and promoting the construction of a pet friendly city. The immersive scene created by its expo is a new attempt to transition from simple commodity transactions to emotional and experiential economies, showcasing consumers with new possibilities for future pet ownership.

Industrial chain linkage: Efficient integration of exhibition and commerce, allowing buyers and sellers to return with full load

It is not only a platform for product exhibition and sales, but also a hub for industry resource integration. This exhibition has attracted numerous pet stores, e-commerce platforms, and buyers from six Southeast Asian countries through activities such as the "Tabona New Procurement Festival" and the "Super Buyer Plan", promoting efficient business connections. At the same time, the forum and course focus on topics such as physical store transformation, traffic operation, and overseas strategy, providing practitioners with practical experience.

For example, this year's expo is aimed at matching the supply and demand of the small and exotic pet industry, and the exhibition area for small and exotic pets has been expanded by 120% year-on-year, helping this blue ocean market move from "interest" to "industrialization". In recent years, small pets and exotic pets have become the favorite of many young people. The overall market size has exceeded 10 billion yuan, and the industry is showing a trend of low base and high growth rate, "an exhibitor told reporters

According to statistics, the number of professional visitors on May 8th and 9th increased by 23% compared to the same period last year. During the two-day and one night public open day on May 10th and 11th, the growth rate exceeded 42%. This year's CIIE welcomed international visitors from 29 countries and regions, among which Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and other regions organized visiting groups to come and purchase. The 'It Bona New Procurement Festival' was even more grand, with a total order amount exceeding 35 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 135%. At the same time, the number of professional purchase orders and the number of professional audience participants in on-site payments have both increased by over 100% year-on-year. Through digital innovation and platform subsidy mechanisms, more practical effect growth has been brought to exhibitors.

The organizer of the exhibition, Donghao Lansheng Exhibition Group, introduced that after five years of development, its expo has grown into a highly influential and reputable exhibition in the pet industry. This exhibition strictly selects exhibitors, gathers well-known old established enterprises from home and abroad, popular online traffic brands, and currently popular niche brands. This year, we have accurately classified the audience, such as dealers, pet stores, breeding houses, e-commerce, Taobao stores Service providers optimize the distribution of exhibition areas, alleviate exhibition anxiety, provide exclusive signage and services, and achieve efficient matching between upstream and downstream. ”The relevant person in charge introduced that "these digital tools can also help exhibitors and visitors quickly complete the entire process of exhibition, product selection, and procurement, and improve business efficiency. Whether it is professional buyers seeking business opportunities or pet lovers exploring new products, they can all gain something and return with a full load.

The popularity of the 5th Pet Expo is a microcosm of the booming development of Shanghai's pet economy. From product innovation to cultural resonance, from business cooperation to social responsibility, this grand event not only injects new momentum into the industry, but also depicts a future vision of harmonious coexistence between humans and pets. During the "55 Shopping Festival", multiple districts are actively expanding the new track of "pet economy", and a series of innovative business models and consumption scenarios have emerged. In Shanghai, every care for pets is being transformed into a driving force for high-quality urban and economic development.