Animals and Japan part 2: pet-tech

In this series, Pets and Humans, I will take a closer look at pets and pet-tech. In Part 2, I focus on the pet market and the growing pet-tech field.

Trends in the Pet and Pet-Related Market

According to the Yano Research Institute, the total size of the pet-related market in Japan is expected to reach 1.91 trillion yen (approximately $12B) in fiscal year 2024, an increase of 2.6% from the previous year. The market is expected to keep growing.

The live animal sales and services areas, which includes pet shops, pet insurance, pet sitters, and other services, are also showing slight growth. Because labor costs and other expenses are rising, the prices of pet-related services are increasing as well.

The prices of pet food and pet supplies continue to go up due to higher costs for raw materials and packaging. As more owners care about the health of their pets, products are becoming more detailed and diverse, with options based on age, breed, and health condition. The cat food market, in particular, is growing very fast.

The Rapid Growth of Pet-Tech

Pet-tech businesses that use technology to improve pet care are increasing not only in Japan but also around the world. According to Verified Market Research, the global pet-tech market was worth $8.4B in 2021. It is expected to grow at an average rate of 24.7% per year from 2023 to 2030, reaching $61.2B in 2030.

Japan’s pet-tech market is also expanding. Many pet-tech products and services are appearing in the D2C space. These include environmentally friendly, non-animal pet foods, remote monitoring devices, and matching services that help owners find someone to take care of their pets during travel or when they are away from home.

Services That Connect Owners Directly With Breeders, and Pet Robots

Matching Services like Minna no Breeder for pet owners have become popular little by little in these days in Japan. They help people find and buy puppies directly from trusted breeders. Other services include online shopping platforms, pet insurance, genetic testing, and veterinary-related products.

Not only startups but also major Japanese companies are entering the pet-tech field. Sharp sells the “Pet Care Monitor HN-PC001,” a smart toilet that can measure a cat’s urine volume and weight. The device connects to Sharp’s AIoT cloud service, automatically records the cat’s health data, and allows owners to check the information through a smartphone app.

Some Japanese companies have been developing pet robots as well.
SONY’s aibo, first released in 1999, is known as a pioneer of pet robots in the world. In recent years, the lineup has expanded with limited-edition colors.
LOVOT, created by GROOVE X in 2018, is a home robot that becomes attached to people, it remembers the faces of those who pet or hold it and gradually grows more affectionate.

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