As the number of households raising pets grows rapidly and the related market expands, retailers are refining their sales strategies. Instead of simply widening their product lineups, they are recommending customized products that reflect a pet's breed, age and health condition, targeting owners who spend freely on their animals.
Membership in Pet Voucher, a service NAVER (035420) Plus Store launched in April last year, is rising quickly, the retail industry said on the 1st. The service recommends products and benefits once an owner registers details such as a pet's breed, age, weight and health condition. As of August this year, membership had risen about 50% from the start of the year, and the average number of orders per member was 2.5 times that of non-members. The repurchase rate in the pet category among NAVER Plus membership subscribers also exceeded 70%.
The number of brand stores operated directly by brands in NAVER's pet category rose about 30% from a year earlier. Transaction volume at pet brand stores was also eight times that of smart stores run by general sellers.
Coupang has focused on demand for pet health care with its Rocket Pet Doctor service. Introduced in 2023, the service has a veterinarian recommend suitable food and supplements once an owner enters details such as the pet's age, weight and body type, bowel condition and medical history. A health management report also explains the basis for the recommendations, along with key ingredients, calorie content and whether the product contains allergens.
Coupang is pushing to expand its range into veterinarian-only and prescription diet foods and nutritional products, which have been distributed mainly through animal hospitals and have been difficult to carry on general open markets, according to sources. The company is in talks with the veterinary association and others to bring brands of veterinarian-only products onto its platform, the retail industry said.
Large discount chains are expanding products and services aimed at aging pets. E-Mart (139480) launched Ola Pet Insurance with DB Insurance (005830) in June this year, raising the maximum age for new enrollment to 12. That lowers the barrier compared with major pet insurance policies, which limit enrollment to animals aged 8 to 10 or younger. Coverage for patellar and hip joint conditions begins 90 days after enrollment, starting earlier than under some existing products.
Lotte Mart this year is expanding its pet private brand Colli Olli from about 50 items to about 70, centered on age-specific products such as food and treats for older pets. Sales of its premium pet private brand rose 3.4% in the first half of this year from a year earlier.
Retailers are pursuing the pet market so aggressively because both the number of owners and related spending are increasing. According to the 2025 Survey on Pet Ownership, released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in February this year as approved national statistics for the first time, 29.2% of households in South Korea keep a pet — about three in 10. Average monthly spending per animal was 121,000 won, of which veterinary bills accounted for about 31%, or 37,000 won. In a separate 2025 survey on public attitudes toward animal welfare, 95.1% of dog and cat owners said they had visited an animal hospital within the past year. The ministry expects the country's pet-related industry to grow at an average annual rate of 8.5%, from $7.5 billion in 2024 to $16.9 billion in 2034.
An industry official said pet food and supplies are a category in which quality translates directly into customer trust in the retail channel and the brand. "The pet market, once seen as a niche, has now grown into a major consumer market where retailers have to design separate products and services," the official said.
