data.ai’s mobile data reveals pet adoption at an all-time high since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic
What’s Happening:
It’s known that millennials love their furry companions after it was confirmed that 58% of millennials said they’d prefer to have pets over human children. Even more, the same survey revealed of 1,000 pet owners that 57% of pet parents love their animals more than their siblings. The trend doesn’t stop at millennials, either. In 2020 70% of US households owned pets, an all-time high. With many seeking some form of companionship, people turned their attention to their fur babies, spending more on them than ever before.
This surge in pet adoption reflects across app usage with the Pet app subgenre continuing to increase in average time spent per user since the global pandemic started in 2020.
Why It Matters:
In Q1 2022, the average time spent per user in the top 10 pet apps was second only to the Supermarket and Convenient Stores subgenre among the Lifestyle genre according to App IQ. This metric is important as it indicates depth of engagement among shoppers.
In fact, in our latest State of Food & Drink on Mobile Report, groceries and pets often go hand-in-hand. US users of Grocery Delivery apps were 2x more likely to use Pets apps than the average consumer. In terms of shopping for everyday sustenance, pets were clearly a high priority.
Download the State of Food & Drink Report for deeper insights into how publishers should adapt to the latest insights in grocery delivery, food delivery and more.
Engagement has spiked in Q1 2022 among Pet apps. Since Q1 2021, pet app users went from spending just over 16 minutes inside pet-related apps to 28 minutes on average, +73% YoY, despite rising inflation and interest rates. Consumers shifted from pandemic-related lockdowns and work-from-home jobs back to in-person jobs and the ability to travel again. In this context, Rover, an online marketplace for pet care services including pet sitting, dog boarding and dog walking ranked #1 for average sessions per user in the US.
Even after the significant increase during COVID-19, pet adoption doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Petfinder, an online pet adoption app, saw about 20 sessions per user in Q1 2022, almost doubling the 12 sessions per user from Q1 2021. Chewy, a pet-related online retailer, was a standout winner in terms of average MAU among the pet category in the US.
Go Deeper:
In the context of market uncertainty, the pet industry is still driving deep engagement with American consumers on mobile. As consumers battle inflation, we will continue to monitor market movement in the sector and its place in the global economy. Even beyond the pet industry, understanding your target markets’ affinity for pets apps can inform strategic partnerships, targeting and ads creatives. Industries from retail to gaming to food & drink all stand to benefit.
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This post is the latest in a Mobile Minute series that features data.ai’s perspective on how mobile is impacting current events and consumer trends. Check in weekly for our take on the latest news cycles and how mobile transformation is shaping industries around the world.
