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Recently, Didi launched its pet express, and Hello is also increasing its pet travel. Prior to this, Huolala had always been the first choice for many cute pet owners to travel. Now, there are many more choices, and a fierce battle for pet passengers is quietly starting.

Not only ground travel, but also aviation is laying out pet travel. Xiangpeng Airlines has launched the first pet in cabin service for Chengdu Tianfu outbound flights, Sichuan Airlines has even created pet charter flights, and Juneyao Airlines and Hainan Airlines have launched innovative services of "people and pets in the same cabin"... This fierce competition for pets between heaven and earth undoubtedly indicates that pet travel has become a new consumption hotspot and market competition focus.

>>Nearly 4.2 million pet related companies are "hunting" and digging up feces officials

Data speaks for itself

In 2024, the average annual consumption of pet owners showed a slight upward trend, with an average annual consumption of 2961 yuan per pet dog, a year-on-year increase of 3%; The average annual consumption of a single pet cat is 2020 yuan, an increase of 4.9% year-on-year

Data shows that in recent years, domestic pet related enterprises have exploded. According to Qichacha data, as of January 2025, there are nearly 4.2 million, of which nearly 80% were established in the past three years. According to Goldman Sachs data, the number of pets in China will exceed the number of infants and young children under the age of 4 for the first time in 2024, and the differentiation is becoming increasingly severe. It is expected that by 2030, the former will reach nearly twice the latter.

In recent years, the pet industry has the potential to become the "next mother and baby track". Although the concept of pet raising and child education is the same and should be flexible, from a social perspective, the refinement of pet food and supplies has become an unstoppable trend in the wave of upgrading pet consumption. Before adopting a pet, I had already planned what I would eat and what he would eat, but now even if I cook every day, I still have to give our Coco something good to eat, "Co Co Mom, who lives near the third ring road in Qujiang South, Xi'an, told reporters. Coco is a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever and the first small dog she has raised since working independently. The fact that pets had to have New Year's Eve dinner and take photos was something I wouldn't have believed in the past two years, until now when the 298 yuan New Year's dinner was ordered immediately and the 669 photos were taken as soon as they were asked

According to data from iResearch Consulting, the scale of China's pet industry has climbed from 72.5 billion yuan in 2015 to nearly 300 billion yuan in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 32.8% over the past six years. In 2024, the average annual consumption of pet owners showed a slight upward trend, with an average annual consumption of 2961 yuan per pet dog, a year-on-year increase of 3%; The average annual consumption of a single pet cat is 2020 yuan, an increase of 4.9% year-on-year. Industry insiders in the pet industry believe that "firstly, the middle-income group in China is constantly expanding. From the development history of pets in developed countries such as the United States and Japan, it can be seen that pet consumption has entered a period of rapid development in countries or regions with a per capita GDP of over 8000 US dollars. Especially in the post-90s and post-00s generations, they have become the main force of pet consumption, and pet consumption has become an important component of emerging consumption, which is unstoppable

The research report of Northeast Securities also pointed out that the growth of urbanization rate and the silver haired economy are driving the long-term development of the pet industry, and the single economy is one of the core driving forces for the current development of the pet industry. Single young people can relieve stress by keeping pets in addition to their busy work schedules, providing strong demand support for the development of the pet industry. In the future, the domestic pet industry will become a consumption track that resists cyclical fluctuations and steadily rises.

>>Bringing pets for travel has become a necessity for ride hailing platforms, with a focus on the pet economy

Data speaks for itself

The market size of pet economy will reach 300.2 billion yuan in 2024. Among them, the market size for dog consumption reached 155.7 billion yuan, and the market size for cat consumption reached 144.5 billion yuan

Recently, the Pet Industry Branch of the China Animal Husbandry Association released the "White Paper on China's Pet Industry in 2025", which shows that the market size of the pet economy in 2024 has successfully exceeded 300 billion yuan, reaching 300.2 billion yuan. Among them, the size of the dog consumption market reached 155.7 billion yuan, and the size of the cat consumption market reached 144.5 billion yuan.

Currently, according to global pet travel market data, the market size of pet travel services is expected to reach $1.8 billion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% from 2024 to 2032. The above data all show that the large number of pet owners has made "pet transportation" no longer a small whim, but a solid and rigid demand.

"I only have one electric car when I travel, and the dog used to make do when he was small. When he grew up, he relied on the goods to take him to travel." Cao Songyan, who lives in Chanba, told the Chinese Business Daily's Dafeng News reporter that now he has a a Border Collie at home, which is a medium-sized dog according to his size, so he always chooses the goods to take a taxi. One advantage of using a delivery truck is that drivers won't refuse to pick you up because of the size of your pet, and you don't have to worry about dog fur issues. As far as I know, friends who have raised large dogs around them have basically had the experience of using a delivery truck

Thanks to the variety of Huolala models and large space, it can directly eliminate the space anxiety of pets' travel with just one click, allowing pets to "live" comfortably during their journey. On the other hand, Huolala specializes in long-distance transportation and moving of pets, and drivers have reached new heights in service, treating pets as "VIPs". In addition, Huolala adopts a billing system based on mileage and vehicle type, with clear pricing and no implicit consumption. Moreover, the transportation of pets is done using the same vehicle, resulting in lower operating costs and providing users with tangible benefits.

However, with the intensification of competition among various ride hailing platforms and the continuous improvement of user requirements, the shortcomings of Huolala Pet Freight are gradually becoming apparent. According to Cao Songyan, not all Huolala experiences are pleasant. Some Huolala drivers do not pay attention to hygiene and have no understanding of pets, so they may encounter situations where they cannot cope with some dog breeds. The unstable service quality also seriously affects users' trust in Huolala pet freight. In addition, Huolala lacks pet specific transport cages and seat belts, making pets vulnerable to bumps and collisions during transportation, and safety cannot be guaranteed. At the same time, the vehicle is not equipped with pet monitoring equipment, which makes it difficult for pet owners to understand their pets' status in real time, undoubtedly increasing their concerns.

>>Snatching people has become a dilemma, and the 'battle for favor' is poised to take off

Data speaks for itself

According to data from the Ministry of Transport, as of the first half of 2024, the registered number of ride hailing drivers has reached 7.12 million.

In 2022, the number of ride hailing users nationwide was 437 million, nearly 16 million fewer than in 2021.

It is understood that there is a serious supply-demand contradiction between the number of domestic ride hailing platforms and drivers and the number of passengers. According to data from the Ministry of Transport, as of the first half of 2024, the registered number of ride hailing drivers reached 7.12 million, but correspondingly, the scale of ride hailing users has been decreasing year by year. As early as 2022, the number of ride hailing users nationwide was 437 million, nearly 16 million fewer than in 2021. It seems that the ride hailing market is gradually realizing that relying solely on a single business is difficult to sustain future development. Therefore, major platforms have started exploring diversified businesses, among which is the "gold mining" pet economy.

To this day, some ride hailing drivers may not be able to pick up a few passengers in a day. According to data statistics, the daily average number of orders for ride hailing services in China dropped to 10.2 last year. That is to say, on average, one ride hailing car can only accommodate 10 people per day. Turning our attention to pets may be a way for the ride hailing market to save itself in the context of shrinking user base.

The reporter interviewed several users who have used Didi's pet car service, and received a relatively consistent feedback that although Didi's pet car service is much more expensive than the standard fare, most pet owners are still willing to pay if they can get a better passenger experience. What we cannot accept is making money from pet owners without taking corresponding responsibility, and shifting the conflict onto passengers.

In terms of service response speed, Didi's ride hailing business has a mature order scheduling system that can quickly match drivers and passengers. Pet travel services are expected to continue this advantage and achieve fast order acceptance and departure. Although Huolala has a scheduling system, it still needs to continue to observe whether it can respond quickly like Didi when dealing with time sensitive and demand dispersed orders such as pet travel.

In the eyes of industry professionals, platform companies' attention to the needs of pet owners' travel and other segments is not only a response to the market and their own development needs, but also a reflection of the platform's social responsibility. In the future, the sustainable development of pet travel requires the joint efforts of platforms, drivers, and passengers to participate in building a pet friendly and convenient travel environment.