BIG DATA Releases "Turning Food into Gold: 2025 Pet Food Hot Spots" Insight Report

The Taiwan pet food market continues its high-speed growth. According to the fiscal statistics database, the overall sales revenue for 2025 is estimated to reach NT$103.9 billion, a 48% increase compared to five years ago, with an average annual growth rate of 8%. The "Turning Food into Gold: 2025 Pet Food Hot Spots" industry insight, released by BIG DATA Co., Ltd., observed the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025, finding that consumers are becoming more discerning about their pets' meals. In the cat food category in 2025, snacks were the fastest-growing item in terms of buzz volume, increasing by 34.9% year-over-year. The key advantage lies in the emphasis on high palatability, single pure meat source, no additives, and hypoallergenicity, satisfying the owners' dual demands for "safety + nutrition." For dog food, the buzz volume for canned food, meat purées, and dental sticks grew simultaneously. Canned food buzz increased by 41.8% year-over-year, leading all dog food items, confirming that wet food and functional meals are becoming mainstream. Furthermore, supplementary food accounted for 27% of dog-related discussion, noticeably higher than the 21% for cats.

More importantly, the buzz surrounding the functional aspects of canned food grew by nearly 59% cumulatively from 2021 to 2025, with digestive health, kidney health, skin/coat, and immunity being the most frequently mentioned functional categories. Consumers are actively searching for keywords such as "low phosphorus," "high protein," and "clinical verification," reflecting rising consumer acceptance and attention toward functional products, which is driving brands to place greater emphasis on "ingredient labeling," "efficacy persuasiveness," and "professional endorsement" in product communication.

According to the "Turning Food into Gold: 2025 Pet Food Hot Spots" industry insight, the buzz volume for cat food brands' direct-to-consumer (D2C) official websites grew by 127% between 2024 and 2025, making them the second-largest online channel after Shopee. In the dog food sector, D2C channels surpassed Shopee to become the number one channel in terms of buzz volume. This trend indicates that private domain marketing has become the preferred shopping channel for pet owners. Brands that can utilize platforms like FB, IG, and Line@, combined with promotions, discounts, unboxing reviews, and trial kits, can effectively guide consumers from purchasing and cultivate high-loyalty customer groups. Observations using the KEYPO Big Data Key Engine from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, show the top three brands by buzz volume for cat food were "CIAO," "Halo," and "ROYAL CANIN," respectively. For dog food, the leaders were "Tapazo," "Halo," and "TOMA-PRO."

While online channel buzz showed significant growth, the report also notes that the offline buzz volume for physical pet specialty stores and supermarkets remains solidly in the top two, with specialty store buzz increasing by 60% year-over-year. This is due to consumers' high reliance on recommendations from front-line staff, in-store sampling, and product explanations, especially in scenarios like "switching food," "determining canned food functionality," and "selecting ingredients." Whether online or offline, the ability to build trust, respond to health needs, and enhance information transparency will be key to winning consumer mindshare in the future.

The challenge for brands is no longer "is there enough data," but how to extract the right insights from a massive data pool and make immediate adjustments. BIG DATA Co., Ltd.'s latest product, KEYPO Agent, can combine public opinion trends with platform interaction to automatically recommend thematic angles and high-intent audiences, helping brands precisely target the next wave of customers. Allen Chen, Director of Data Solutions, pointed out that the shift from simple feeding to optimal nutrition, and from exposure to conversion, requires brands to establish not just breadth of topics, but a decision-making loop that is warm and rhythmic. Utilizing data and AI tools is essential to saying the right things at the right time and driving sustained growth in the pet economy.

adGeek, an AI-leading marketing technology company, employs a three-step strategy—"Breadth, Depth, Longevity"—to fully capture the pet economy. This strategy involves utilizing forums and social media to lay out three content battlegrounds and prepare for the peak shopping season at the end of the year; using AI ad bidders to find precise audiences; and employing adGeek's intelligent networking and word-tracing technology to manage long-term traffic, fully opening up the blue ocean market for pets. Sharing the case study of their cooperation with the well-known pet brand Patrico, adGeek demonstrated using AI models to unearth potential audiences and precisely target unexpected profiles, such as "fans of Korean groups," successfully driving a 10% growth in online business territory. Chia-Chih Liu, Associate Deputy Director of Customer Success at adGeek, stated that the key for pet brands is building an emotional connection. Only through an AI-driven, omnichannel data strategy can brands deliver messages that truly resonate with pet owners at the right time and in the right context.

l "Turning Food into Gold: 2025 Pet Food Hot Spots" Insight Report: https://dailyview.tw/insight/detail/86