Wang Jingli wangjingli0715@163.com THE 11th Shenzhen International Pet Supplies Exhibition & Global Pet Cross-border E-commerce Fair became a sensational hit from Thursday to Sunday, drawing massive crowds of enthusiasts and their furry companions. The pet fair, held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District, attracted over 1,000 exhibitors from home and abroad to showcase a wide range of pet products in eight themed exhibition halls. The fair displayed the latest product trends, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative services in the global pet industry. Nearly 180,000 visitors attended the pet fair, according to the fair organizer. Intl. brands and visitors Being bullish on the Chinese pet industry, Talentail, an Australian owned and operated company, attended this year’s pet fair. The company officially entered the Chinese market in July last year. According to staff from Talentail, although the company was an exhibitor at the fair for the first time, they visited the fair last year and witnessed its popularity. Shenzhen has always been a key market in South China for Talentail, and that’s one of the key reasons the company was drawn to the pet fair. International brands like Talentail are not alone in their optimism about China’s pet industry. International buyers are also captivated by the potential within the booming sector and interested in its diverse, innovative, and cost-effective product offerings. Poshyan Ganapathy, managing director of Malaysia’s No.1 veterinary pharmacy KM Vet Pharm Sdn Bhd, flew to Shenzhen to attend the pet fair. “More and more people in Malaysia have a pet, which fuels the development of the pet industry. We value the high-quality and low prices of pet products in China, so I traveled here to see if there are any cooperation opportunities,” said Ganapathy. Innovative pet products Many people in other countries have not heard about Chinese herbal tea, and even fewer people have probably heard about herbal tea specifically designed for dogs and cats. AromatheraPET, a Shenzhen-based brand, brought several types of herbal tea for pets and aromatherapy-based pet products to the pet fair. The company applied the idea of pet aromatherapy during their product development. Pet aromatherapy is the same as human aromatherapy — natural essential oils are used to restore or maintain the well-being of pets. According to the company’s staff, the concept of pet aromatherapy hasn’t reached everywhere on the mainland yet. However, it is very common in Hong Kong and western countries. The company thus took the opportunity to introduce aromatherapy-based products, like pet herbal tea and pet oral spray, to the mainland market. Additionally, many exhibitors have incorporated photography into their products. “It is easy to become a hit online when shooting pets now. So, our robot uses intelligent recognition and motion tracking to take pictures or videos of pets from multiple angles,” said a staffer at the venue. An AI image algorithm is applied to videos so that pet owners do not need to manually screen and edit the shots. After a video is uploaded, it can be automatically edited. AOP-KF solid alkali has been used as a material in household air purifiers and masks, and some exhibitors have now incorporated this material and its deodorizing function into cat litter. Pet-friendly malls Increasingly, shopping malls in the city are evolving into pet-friendly zones in order to accommodate the growing number of citizens who enjoy shopping and spending time with their cherished pets. At present, the city has about 50 pet-friendly shopping malls. These shopping malls have created guidelines that set limits on pet types and size. Without disturbing the public, people with pets can enjoy the fun of shopping with their furry friends. Some shopping malls have also set up special areas for pets to rest. Pet industry The 2023 to 2024 edition of the Report on the Operation Status and Consumer Market Monitoring of China’s Pet Industry, released by third-party data mining and analysis agency iiMedia Research, showed that the scale of China’s pet-based economy reached 493.6 billion yuan (US$68.61 billion) in 2022. The number of households with pets in China is also increasing year by year, with an estimated 22% of households having a pet in 2023. By 2025, the scale of China’s pet economy is expected to reach 811.4 billion yuan, according to the report. | 