This is the second of two articles from APPA’s “2025 State of the Industry Report.” Read more pet industry sales and pet ownership in Part One.

STAMFORD, CONN. — As pet ownership continues to rise and younger pet parents are now owning more pets, the industry is seeing a shift in purchasing behaviors from where consumers are shopping to the types of pet foods and treats they’re bringing home. The American Pet Products Association’s (APPA) “2025 State of the Industry Report,” which was released during Global Pet Expo last week, shed some light on these changing buying patterns.

At the end of 2024, it’s estimated that there were more than 114 million US households purchasing pet products, with an average value per buyer of $782, an increase of 4.1% year-over-year. Breaking this down by product category, pet food accounts for a significant portion of pet owners’ overall pet spending. Dog owners spent the most on vet care (30% of their wallet), pet products (28%), food (28%) and non-vet services (13%). Cat owners spent the most on pet products (39%), food (29%), vet care (28%) and non-vet services (3%). 

Overall, the majority (48%) of pet parents reported spending about the same on their pets in the past year, a decrease of 51% in 2023. However, more pet owners reported spending more money on their pets in 2024 at 32% compared to 2023 at 30%. Twenty percent reported spending less on their pets in 2024, an increase from 19% in 2023. 

Brick-and-mortar and online shopping are still waging war, with online purchasing now surpassing in-store. According to APPA, Gen Zers are still the prominent cohort utilizing online shopping, but now this method has grown significantly popular with older generations. Even subscription-based purchases are increasing, particularly amongst Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers.

Fifty-one percent of all pet parents purchased pet products online and 47% purchased them in-store. Generationally, Millennials are most likely to purchase online with 56% typically shopping for products online in 2024, an increase of 4% from 2023. Followed closely by Gen Zers at 52% in 2024, an increase of 2% from 2023. Forty-nine percent of Gen Xers shopped online in 2024, an increase of 3% from 2023; and 46% of Boomers shopped online, a 4% increase from 2023. 

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Despite this, brick-and-mortar isn’t totally forgotten but continues to experience decreases across the board. Boomers are still more likely to purchase in-store compared to online, with 52% shopping in a brick-and-mortar store in 2024, a 3% decrease from 2023. Followed closely by Gen Xers at 48%, a 3% decrease from 2023. Forty-five percent of Gen Zers shopped in-store in 2024, a 1% decrease from 2023; and 42% of Millennials shopping in-store, a 2% decrease from 2023.  

As online shopping has become more prevalent amongst all generations of pet parents, the amount of online purchases each pet owner has made has also increased, according to APPA. Overall, 40% of pet parents reported increasing the number of online purchases in 2024, 50% reported this stayed the same and only 10% reported a decrease. A majority of Gen Zers (52%) and Millennials (48%) claimed their online purchases have increased, whereas a majority of Gen Xers (54%) and Boomers (64%) claimed their online purchases stayed the same over the past year. 

Product-wise, the most popular online purchases revolve around pet nutrition products. Overall, the majority (82%) of online pet purchases made in 2024 were for pet food, followed closely by treats at 78% of purchases, and vitamins at 54% of purchases.

Omnichannel purchasing (purchasing products both in-store and online) is the most popular shopping method amongst all pet owners at 58%.

“We’ve heard a lot about e-commerce, and we’ve heard a lot about brick-and-mortar, as in the ‘death of brick-and-mortar,’” said Ingrid Chu, vice president of research insights at APPA, during the organization’s presentation on the report on March 27. “It’s actually not the death of brick-and-mortar, it’s the evolution and we call it omnichannel. We’re seeing that pet owners are shopping both, they’re not doing exclusively one or the other.”

Within the online shopping world, subscription-based purchasing has significantly ramped up. In 2024, 52% of all pet parents reported using subscription-based purchasing, an increase from 46% in 2023. Pet nutrition products are the most popular products purchased via a subscription, 31% of consumers used this method for pet food, 19% for pet treats, and 16% for pet vitamins and supplements.

Gen Zers and Millennials, at 61% and 59% respectively, account for most subscription-based pet purchases. But growth amongst Gen Xers and Boomers is far higher. In 2024, 47% of Gen Xers purchased pet products via a subscription, a 5% increase from 2023; and 39% of Boomers purchased via a subscription, a 4% increase from 2023. 

Pet nutrition trends

Pet food accounts for a significant portion of a pet parent’s pet-related purchases. Within the pet food industry, premium dog and cat food purchases are increasing, whereas generic formulas are stabilizing, according to APPA. Of all the dog food purchased in 2024, 41% was for premium formulations, 26% for generic and 19% for natural. Of all the cat food purchased in 2024, 38% was for premium formulations, 38% for generic and 18% for natural.

Generationally, older generations are more likely to buy premium pet food products than their younger counterparts, likely because older generations have much more income. 

Forty-eight percent of dog-owning Boomers purchased premium dog food in 2024, a 3% increase from 2023. Forty-four percent of dog-owning Gen Xers purchased premium dog food in 2024, a 1% increase from 2023. Thirty-seven percent of dog-owning Millennials purchased premium dog food in 2024, a 4% increase from 2023. And 27% of dog-owning Gen Zers purchased premium dog food in 2024, a 4% decrease from 2023. 

On the cat side, generic formulas remain just as popular as premium ones, and, in some cases, more popular. Forty-one percent of cat-owning Boomers purchased generic cat food in 2024, whereas 42% purchased premium. Thirty-seven percent of cat-owning Gen Xers purchased generic cat food in 2024, whereas 40% purchased premium. The same percentage (37%) of cat-owning Millennials purchased generic and premium cat food in 2024. And 35% of cat-owning Gen Zers purchased generic cat food in 2024, whereas 27% purchased premium. 

Pet food toppers and mixers continue to gain interest amongst pet parents across all generations, though the younger owners are far more likely to purchase. In 2024, 15% of dog-owning Boomers purchased a dog food topper/mixer, a 3% increase from 2023. Sixteen percent of dog-owning Gen Xers purchased a dog food topper/mixer, a 4% increase from 2023. Eighteen percent of dog-owning Millennials purchased a dog food topper/mixer, a 1% decrease from 2023. And 16% of dog-owning Gen Zers purchased a dog food topper/mixer, flat from 2023. 

Feline-wise, 15% of cat-owning Boomers purchased a cat food topper/mixer, a 2% increase from 2023. Eighteen percent of cat-owning Gen Xers purchased a cat food topper/mixer, flat from 2023. Twenty-three percent of cat-owning Millennials purchased a cat food topper/mixer, a 3% increase from 2023. And 20% of cat-owning Gen Zers purchased a cat food topper/mixer, a 3% increase from 2023. 

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Interest in organic pet foods has slowed and even dropped amongst some generations, according to the report. In 2024, 4% of dog-owning Boomers purchased organic dog food, a 2% decrease from 2023. Eight percent of dog-owning Gen Xers purchased organic dog food, flat from 2023. Thirteen percent of dog-owning Millennials purchased organic dog food, also flat from 2023. And 14% of dog-owning Gen Zers purchased organic dog food, a 1% decrease from 2023. 

On the other hand, interest in organic cat food is higher compared to that of dog food, particularly among younger cat parents. In 2024, 4% of cat-owning Boomers purchased organic cat food, a 1% decrease from 2023. Seven percent of cat-owning Gen Xers purchased organic cat food, a 1% increase from 2023. Sixteen percent of cat-owning Millennials purchased organic cat food, a 4% increase from 2023. And 19% of cat-owning Gen Zers purchased organic cat food, a whopping 6% increase from 2023. 

When it comes to brand name value, Gen Zers and Millennials value brand name pet products far more so than their older counterparts. Seventy-nine percent of dog-owning and 75% of cat-owning Gen Zers, and 70% of dog-owning and 73% of cat-owning Millennials believe brand is important or very important when purchasing pet products. Whereas 61% of dog-owning and 65% of cat-owning Gen Xers, and 59% of dog-owning and 63% of cat-owning Boomers believe brand is important or very important. 

Regarding the popularity of pet treats purchased in the last year, high-protein, meat treats and dental treats are by far the most popular with pet parents. Fifty-four percent of dog-owning Gen Xers, 51% of Boomers, 49% of Millennials and 42% of Gen Zers purchased meat treats for their dogs in 2024. Forty-nine percent of dog-owning Boomers, 47% of Gen Xers, 40% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Zers purchased dental treats. 

For the cat side, 37% of cat-owning Gen Xers, 36% of Millennials, 32% of Gen Zers and 30% of Boomers purchased meat treats for their cats in 2024. Twenty-five percent of Gen Xers, 24% of Boomers and Millennials, and 21% of Gen Zers purchased dental treats for their cats in 2024.

Natural treats are also gaining popularity amongst both dog and cat owners, though Millennials are the most interested demographic with regard to these treats with 31% of dog owners and 25% of cat owners purchasing in the past 12 months.

As awareness of pet wellbeing grows, demand for calming products has increased, particularly among Gen Z and Millennial pet owners. Overall, 78% of dog-owning and 71% of cat-owning Gen Zers, and 72% of dog-owning and 66% of cat-owning Millennials used calming products for their pets. Whereas 57% of dog-owning and 49% of cat-owning Gen Xers, and 43% of dog-owning and 37% of cat-owning Boomers used calming products. 

The most popular calming product is a toy, followed closely by a supplement/chew/treat. CBD has emerged as a way for pet owners to ease anxiety and promote relaxation in pets and CBD treats are the most popularly purchased pet CBD product for both dog and cat owners across all generations.

Also in line with overall pet wellness, more and more pet parents are exploring the use of pet vitamins and supplements. Gen Zers, Millennials and Gen Xers are more likely to give their dogs and cats some form of vitamin and supplement. Combining dog and cat owners, 48% of Millennials currently give their pet a vitamin or supplement, 39% of Gen Zers, 34% of Gen Xers and only 24% of Boomers currently give their pet a vitamin or supplement.

Read more of our Global Pet Expo coverage.

This is the second of two articles from APPA’s “2025 State of the Industry Report.” Read more pet industry sales and pet ownership in Part One.