Pets are in vogue, not least because of the unfortunate experiences during the pandemic over the past two years. Cats in particular are literally on the rise in our own four walls. The German pet industry has long been a billion-dollar market. Nexiga has developed an affinity score for pet ownership specifically for this purpose in order to analyze and evaluate sales opportunities across the board.
The target group is widely represented in the population, with almost four out of ten households households are sometimes animal-oriented.
Got on the dog
A lot has certainly changed for many people during the pandemic. Not infrequently, this has led to an expansion of the family in the form of pets. In addition to cats, dogs in particular have also moved in. For example, the German Kennel Club (VDH) - which also exists - found that a whopping 20% more dogs were bought in 2020 than in previous years.
However, according to the German Pet Supplies Industry Association (IVH), cats, which are often easier to care for and more independent, are the number one pet. According to the IVH, around 16.7 million velvet paws live in 26 percent of households. This corresponds to more than 10 million households (we at Nexiga have more than 41 million households nationwide). This is followed by10.3 million dogs in around 21 percent of households.
The IVH website provides a good overview of the market. According to the study, 47% of all households in Germany had one or more pets in 2021, with a total of 34.7 million dogs, cats, small mammals and ornamental birds. If these animals lived in their own Federal state, it would have twice as many inhabitants as North Rhine-Westphalia.
The market for pet food is correspondingly large, with a turnover of 4.786 billion euros, mainly through food retailers (including drugstores and discounters). In contrast, supplies and accessories are mainly sold in specialist shops (often also in owner-managed pet stores). The total turnover of the German pet industry is around 6 billion euros.
Many people are now heading back to the office, at least partially. But the pets have come to stay.
Target group: Households with an affinity for pets
Anyone driving along the A1 highway south of Bremen will certainly notice the buildings of the Vitakraft Group, the well-known specialist in pet nutrition and husbandry. This company also has its origins near the Hanseatic city, founded back in 1837.
Back then, we did not have extensive data and modern methods for target group marketing at our disposal. Today they do: Nexiga has created an affinity score for pet ownership. This is based on a statistical model, which is based on a representative sample of the nationwide population. In this sample, all respondents made statements about their pet ownership. All households that own at least one pet were selected for the target group. This score is then transferred to the area and displayed, for example, at zip code level (Zip code).
Our map (PDF ) shows the proportion of households with a high affinity score for the north-west of Germany, from East Frisia to the central Weser region (postcode regions 26, 27 and 28). The relative potential of affinity households is shown.
Urban areas generally have lower proportions than rural areas, which is due to the predominant housing situation. However, the areas shaded in red also show the Zip code areas with an absolutely high number of corresponding households. If marketing planning is carried out on the basis of zip codes, the greatest potential is found around Bremen.
Consumption scores: affinities for many sectors
The example of "pets" shows how Nexiga data can be used to define individual target groups for sectors and products and process them geographically. This provides spatial information that shows where the target group or sales potential is particularly strongly represented. Target groups can be displayed throughout Germany at various spatial levels such as zip codes, municipalities or at a fine spatial level for residential areas (neighborhoods) or Micro postal code (subdivision of a Postal code).
This data can be used to analyze potential and identify promising markets for your products and services.