The world is constantly evolving, and we are finding new and innovative ways to incorporate technology into our daily lives with every advancement. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of pet tech products available on the market, revolutionising how we interact and play with our pets, as well as how we care for them, monitor their health, and keep them safe.
The European pet tech market is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.7% during the forecast period of 2023-2028, with global figures expected to reach around $500 billion globally by 2030.
So, we surveyed pet owners in Europe – targeting owners of cats and dogs – to reveal which concept pet tech products could be popular in the future, which existing products are our favourites, and the opinions of pet tech and how much owners would be willing to spend.
In a Purr-fect World: The Dream Pet Tech Concepts People Wish Were Real?
The possibilities of technology in the future seem limitless with the progression of smart IoT devices, including pet wearables, monitors and interactive cameras, GPS collars, and many other available technologies already on the market.
To discover what future pet gadget concepts people across Europe would be interested in, we took a list of made-up pet tech and some patented items that could soon hit the market to reveal what they’d be most interested in. Among the list were AI-powered pet training assistants, self-closing poo bags, a pet walking robot, a robot pet sitter and more.
Across Europe, the most popular concept pet tech product was a ‘pet nutrition scanner’. Over half (52%) of respondents showed interest in this concept product. With this scanner, pet owners could get a thorough and accurate analysis of their pet’s nutrition levels and use this information to adjust their pets’ diets to maintain a healthy lifestyle or share crucial information with their vet.
It’s not just pet health solutions that won the favour of pet owners; entertainment tech and products to make an owner’s life easier also scored highly. The second most popular concept product was a ‘language translator’, with over half of the participants (51%) showing interest, followed by ‘smart warming/cooling cushion’ and ‘self-closing poo bags’, both with 50% interest.
The least popular pet gadget across all four countries was the ‘pet walking robot’, with only a 30% interest rate across the European countries. Although the concept is interesting, it’s not surprising that owners don’t want to replace their daily pet walk, as this is one of the many joys of having a furry friend.
Unleashing Innovation: The Pet Tech Products Owners Love
The type of technology used in existing pet tech on the market is already advanced and can be categorised into GPS, RFID (radio-frequency indication) and sensor technology for most products.
Interestingly, our research found that ‘GPS trackers’, overall, are the type of existing pet tech that Europeans would be most likely to purchase, with 37% showing interest. Overall, ‘GPS trackers’ were the most popular product in Italy (42%) and Switzerland (35%).
‘Pet water fountains’ were the second-most wanted pet tech, with around 3 in 10 (31%) interest across European countries. Third was ‘pet feeders’, with 29% of all respondents interested in purchasing, showing that tech that takes care of the essentials proved popular.
However, the least popular pet tech product across Europe was ‘smart pet beds’ to monitor sleep, with only 9% of respondents showing interest.
From Sceptics to Enthusiasts: How Do Pet Owners in Europe Feel About Pet Tech
The European pet tech market is undoubtedly growing, and with almost half (46%) of European households owning a pet, we wanted to find out how pet owners truly feel about pet tech.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the age group of pet owners most ready to adopt pet tech into their daily lives was 25-34-year-olds, while those over 65 were the least convinced that pet tech would have a positive impact on their lives with their pets.
What’s more:
- Over two-fifths (45%) of Europeans said that “pet tech is the future of pet ownership”
- 42% of pet owners think pet tech would substantially improve their and their pet’s lives.
- 44% of Europeans said they would feel comfort/assured knowing their pet would be better cared for with pet tech
- 41% said they think pet tech improves the relationship between owner and pet.
Fur and Firewalls: Pet Owners’ Cybersecurity Concerns
Whilst pet tech can improve our pets and our own lives, it doesn’t come without some risk. University studies have shown that some pet tech has leaked information about users, so we wanted to determine how cat and dog owners in Europe feel about a potential cybersecurity breach.
Across the board, 41% of Europeans agreed they have cybersecurity concerns when using pet tech. Interestingly, even though pet owners in Switzerland have been the most constantly interested in pet tech throughout the results, they’re also the most concerned about pet tech cybersecurity, with over half (52%) agreeing that it’s a concern.
They may be the country most interested in using pet tech, but 25-34-year-olds also have the most concern when it comes to cybersecurity risk in pet tech (54%), followed by 35-44-year-olds (47%) and 18-24-year-olds (46%). While younger generations are keen to adopt pet tech into their lives, they’re also cautious and educated on the potential risks to be aware of.
The Cost of Pet Tech: What Are Europeans Willing To Spend
For the most part, pet tech is broken into four categories, so we asked pet owners in Europe which type they’d likely spend the most on. When asked how much pet owners would spend across pet tech in all categories within one year, the average amount was €158.
Home pet care and well-being came out on top, with 46% stating this is where they’ve invested the most money. Pet owner convenience was next with 20% of the vote, followed by pet safety (18%) and communication and entertainment at 10%.
Swiss pet owners are willing to spend the most on pet tech with an average of €251, and France the least with €102.
Women are likely to spend more money on pet tech than men, with an average of €168 compared to men, who would spend an average of €148.
The 25-34 age range are the biggest spenders on pet tech, with an average spend of €209, followed by 18-24 year olds (€176) and 35-40 year olds at €161. The 65+ age bracket is willing to spend the least on pet tech (€81).
Methodology
2,000 cat and dog owners across Switzerland, France, Italy and Germany were surveyed (500 pet owners per country).
Results and data were collected between 22nd and 26th September 2023 using survey provider 3Gem.
