The Slow Return To a New ‘Normal’: How Post-pandemic Factors Have Affected Pet Sales And Pricing In 2022

The past two years have brought unprecedented uncertainty and unusual market trends due to the global health pandemic. Our first, published during the pandemic, showed that pet ownership increased steeply and supply struggled to meet demand, pushing prices up dramatically. The 2021 report revealed a reversal in this trend, however demand and pricing remained high. With the lockdown era behind us, we are seeing a return to pre-pandemic demand for pets and therefore a decrease in prices, although still not to pre-pandemic levels.

Link to full report: The UK Pet Industry Report vol.3

The Slow Return To a New ‘Normal’ at a glance

• Partnerships and collaboration with animal welfare organisations continues to be an industry priority 
• Demand and prices are coming down but remain above pre-pandemic levels
• Coming out of lockdown has not affected the wellbeing of pets
• Dogs remain most popular pet
• Positive attitudes towards adopting rescues, but significant barriers to the process remain
• Supply remains high due to sharp increase in demand during pandemic
• Reselling of ‘pandemic puppies’ a myth
• Sustained increase in hobby breeders
• Buyer vigilance needs to be increased
• Trust & Safety innovations and updates

What does animal welfare look like on this side of the pandemic?

The good news is that animal welfare is looking positive. The myth that ‘pandemic puppies’ are being abandoned or resold is not reflected in the data from the report, in fact, the majority of sales can be tracked to new litters. Additionally, most owners have reported that they do not believe the return to more normal life has negatively affected their pets, with only 7% revealing that separation anxiety is a worry. Looking at the bigger picture, there continues to be industry-wide collaboration and partnership in working towards the shared goal of optimum animal welfare in the UK. Pets4Homes collaborates with organisations such as RSPCA, SSPCA, Blue Cross and Wood Green to help raise awareness and increase vigilance amongst buyers to ensure the animals’ best interests and safety. Sharing industry data and insights ultimately helps continuously improve welfare standards across the sector. This year’s report revealed that there is still work to be done to improve gaps in buyer knowledge and increase vigilance during the research process. Partnership working continues to be at the core of striving for this goal and is in everyone’s best interests. In the report, Pets4Homes has provided useful updates on tools being used to increase trust and safety, such as the Safe Deposit Scheme and ID verification, as well as new and upcoming regulations. 

Are demand and pricing for pets stabilizing?

The short answer to this question is yes, however demand and pricing are nowhere near pre-pandemic levels and so we find ourselves looking at a new normal this side of the pandemic. As predicted, the demand for pets has continued to decrease in the first part of 2022 and there is no expectation of growth in demand for this year due to the dramatic spike during 2020. Also expected was the continued decrease in prices from record levels during 2020, following the gradual decrease we saw in 2021. Average dog/puppy price before covid was £876, during March 2021 £2,237 and £1,329 in April 2022. Cat buyers are seeing similar decreases in price across the top 20 most popular breeds, and can expect to pay around 20% less than in 2021. Yes, we are seeing a gradual decrease in pricing and demand but the data still shows they are a long way off the pre-pandemic figures. 

What are buyers looking for?

Dogs, mainly. Dogs are still coming out on top, with 63% of all buyers searching for a dog or puppy. The Golden Retriever is still the number one choice for buyers and the breed that has seen the biggest increase in demand since last year is the Border Terrier, climbing to the number 3 spot. Devon Rex is still the most popular cat breed and interestingly, the Munchkin, a cat which thrives on human company, saw the biggest increase in demand as compared to 2021, climbing 11 places to rank 6th. With regards to other pets, 2021 and 2022 have seen an increased interest in rabbits and the pandemic does not appear to have changed horse-buying habits. Sales of reptiles and fish remain largely unchanged, with a large decrease in sales of poultry and birds.

When asked if they were willing to adopt a rescue animal, most buyers were open to the idea but ultimately did not follow through due to some barriers with the process. Most cite choice as a factor, therefore having an option of which breed to bring home is still of considerable importance. It is clear from the data that buyers continue to have strong breed preferences in the UK. Also of note is that there appear to be discrepancies in availability of dogs depending on location. Buyers also cited availability as a barrier to rehoming a rescue animal, perhaps highlighting more geographical discrepancies in supply and demand.

Who is selling puppies and dogs?

2022 has seen an decrease in first time breeders, from 40% in 2021 to 31% this year. A fifth of breeders have been breeding for more than 4 years. We once again see the continued presence of active hobby breeders who have increased their share of pets sold to 75% in April 2022 vs. 55% pre-pandemic. The pandemic and working from home stipulations have facilitated this increase in hobby breeders who have had more time to breed litters. The increased prevalence of hobby breeding is welcome news given the mismatch of demand and supply which has plagued the UK for years, giving rise to illegal puppy traders and unscrupulous sellers meeting that excess demand. 

To read all the key insights and to discover more about our vital industry partnerships that strive to keep animal welfare at the heart of all we do, read the full 2022 Pets4Homes industry report.