{"id":27146,"date":"2026-09-15T10:02:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T03:02:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petkin.vn\/hanh-vi-tieu-dung-pet-food-cua-nguoi-viet-hien-nay\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T10:38:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T03:38:32","slug":"hanh-vi-tieu-dung-pet-food-cua-nguoi-viet-hien-nay","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/petkin.vn\/en\/hanh-vi-tieu-dung-pet-food-cua-nguoi-viet-hien-nay\/","title":{"rendered":"Current pet food consumption behavior of Vietnamese people."},"content":{"rendered":"
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To sell successfully in the pet food industry, understanding the buyer is more important than understanding the market. Vietnamese consumers’ pet food purchasing behavior is changing rapidly, but unevenly: some are buying based on standards for family members, while the majority maintain old habits. This article outlines the profile, motivations, and decision-making criteria of buyers, so that distributors know who they are trying to persuade.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The biggest obstacle for the industry lies in the leftover rice bowl.<\/h2>\n

Before discussing brands or prices, we must acknowledge the fundamental barrier to the industry: the vast majority of dogs and cats in Vietnam still eat leftover rice from their families. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, only about 5% of the country’s pet population, estimated at around 27 million, is currently fed specialized pet food. This isn’t an income barrier, as many families can afford it but still don’t see a reason to buy something they consider unnecessary. It’s a barrier of perception and habit, and it dictates the entire sales approach. For distributors, the implication is very specific: the real competitor of a bag of pet food isn’t another brand’s bag, but the customer’s rice cooker. Therefore, point-of-sale advice should focus on the health consequences of feeding leftover rice, not on price lists or promotional programs.<\/p>\n

\"Current
Current pet food consumption behavior of Vietnamese people.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who is actually paying for the pet food bowls?<\/h3>\n

The industry’s customer base is much larger than many businesses imagine. 2023 data shows that approximately 18.7% of Vietnamese households own dogs and 13.8% own cats, meaning that about one in five households owns at least one pet. In terms of pet ownership, dogs account for 45.1%, cats 38%, and other pets 16.9%. These three figures tell us two things for retailers. First, the scale of pet ownership in Vietnam is large enough that a single store within a few kilometers has a potential customer base of thousands of households; the only question is how many of those have switched to specialized pet food. Second, the combined market for cats and other pets has surpassed that of dogs, meaning a store that only displays dog products is missing out on more than half the market right on its doorstep.<\/p>\n

Humanizing pets is rewriting pet food consumption behavior.<\/h3>\n

The strongest driving force behind the market shift is the trend towards anthropomorphizing pets. Today’s pet owners no longer view dogs and cats merely as guard animals or rodents, but as family members, often addressed with affectionate terms. This psychological shift leads to a change in purchasing behavior: once pets are considered family, people apply the same standards they use for human food to their pet food choices. They read the ingredient list, check the expiration date, inquire about preservatives, investigate the origin, and are willing to pay extra for peace of mind. Therefore, pet food consumption behavior resembles that of a high-end consumer goods industry rather than a traditional animal feed industry. Any distributor still advising customers in a way that emphasizes low prices and bag weight, focusing on industrial feed, will automatically exclude them from the highest-paying customer group.<\/p>\n

Gen Z and young urban dwellers are the spending powerhouses.<\/h3>\n

If we had to choose a customer group to serve first, it would be young urban dwellers in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. This group has rapidly increasing disposable income, lives alone or in small households, and views pets as an important source of emotional connection. Gen Z is increasingly entering the market and brings with them a notable spending characteristic: they are less likely to haggle but demand information. According to Pety, consumers are now willing to spend between 200,000 and 500,000 VND on a product combo, meaning the amount spent on pets per purchase is equivalent to a single grocery trip for a small household. For retailers, the way to tap into this group isn’t through price reductions, but through packaging: building combos of kibble, pate, snacks, or supplementary products within that price range, clearly naming them according to needs and explaining why each item is included in the combo.<\/p>\n

Premiumization and functional nutrition shape the shopping basket.<\/h2>\n

Within the already transitioned customer base, a second movement is underway: buyers are not only shifting from leftover rice to kibble, but also from generic kibble to more specialized products. The trend towards premium pet food is most evident in the nutritional supplements and functional products group, which Mordor Intelligence notes is the fastest-growing segment in the industry at 11.62% annually. Pet owners are starting to ask about probiotics for digestive support, omega-3s for coat and skin, and products specifically for spayed or elderly pets. Notably, these questions often stem from a specific problem they are facing: excessive dog shedding, loose stools in cats, or poor appetite in pets. Dealers should understand this is currently the most lucrative sales opportunity, but it can only be exploited if salespeople know how to ask about the pet’s condition before introducing a product.<\/p>\n

Dog owners and cat owners buy their pets in two different ways.<\/h3>\n

A common mistake is lumping these two customer segments together. Dog owners tend to buy larger quantities at a time, paying attention to kibble size according to breed and weight, and are more receptive to switching brands if given a reasonable explanation. Cat owners, on the other hand, buy smaller quantities but more frequently, are particularly sensitive to taste because cats are much pickier eaters, and once they find a type of kibble their cat will eat, they are almost unwilling to switch. Cat owners also often buy many other items at the same time, from cat litter to snacks. Therefore, buying pet food requires two separate consultation scenarios. For dog owners, advise based on their developmental stage and health condition. For cat owners, prioritize samples to overcome the taste barrier, and then retain customers by always having that specific type of kibble readily available on the shelves.<\/p>\n

The repeat purchase cycle and why customers are so loyal to a particular type of nut.<\/h3>\n

The most appealing aspect of this industry is repeat business. A pet eats regularly every day, so customers return in cycles of weeks to months, depending on the weight of the bag purchased. But behind that cycle lies a psychological mechanism that sellers need to understand: switching pet food is a real risk, as the pet’s digestive system reacts immediately with diarrhea or loss of appetite. Once a type of food works, owners see it as the result of a costly trial-and-error process and don’t want to start over. This is why loyalty in the pet food industry is unusually high compared to fast-moving consumer goods. The business consequences are clear: acquiring a customer for the first time is the hardest, but retaining them has enormous lifetime value. Conversely, running out of stock of a best-selling type of food is the quickest way to drive customers to another store and lose their entire purchasing cycle.<\/p>\n

These are the criteria that truly determine a buyer’s choice.<\/h3>\n

Many pet shop owners believe price is the deciding factor, but observation shows that price rarely comes first. The number one criterion is whether the pet will eat it, because a delicious bag of kibble that the pet refuses is useless. The second criterion is whether the digestive system is healthy, specifically whether the product causes diarrhea in the first few days. After that comes the expiration date, the origin and legitimacy of the batch, and finally, the advice of a veterinarian and the shop owner themselves. Understanding this order is key to understanding the customer psychology of pet shops: buyers are looking for a trustworthy source to entrust their pet’s health to, not the cheapest option. Dealers who compete by lowering prices will find themselves in a pointless race, while those who compete on the reliability of their advice maintain their profit margins.<\/p>\n

Dealers should translate behavioral insights into the sales process.<\/h2>\n

Understanding pet food consumption behavior is only valuable when it becomes a daily practice at the point of sale. The first step is to develop a transition plan for customers currently feeding their pets leftover rice, explaining how to gradually introduce the new food over seven to ten days to avoid digestive upset, as this is a common reason why many people try it once and then give up. The second is to prepare small sample packs for trial use \u2013 the cheapest way to overcome the taste barrier without forcing customers to spend hundreds of thousands of dong on a risky venture. The third is to provide after-sales care: follow up with inquiries after three to five days to check on the pet’s eating habits and stool quality. The fourth is to record the purchase date and bag weight to remind customers to repurchase when supplies are running low. These four steps don’t cost significantly but dramatically change a store’s customer retention rate.<\/p>\n

How does Petkin read Pet Food consumption behavior?<\/h3>\n

Petkin is an importer and distributor of pet food, not a direct retailer, so our entire revenue depends on whether our dealers can convince buyers. Therefore, we view pet food consumption behavior as a shared problem, not just a matter for individual retailers. When the biggest barrier is the habit of feeding leftover food and the deciding factor is trust rather than price, what dealers need from distributors is a stable supply of familiar kibble, long shelf life, complete documentation, and in-depth product knowledge to enable staff to confidently advise customers. These are the things Petkin focuses on. If you are running a pet shop or a dealer network and want to build a base of repeat customers instead of chasing individual orders, this is the partnership we are pursuing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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