On August 19, 2026, the 28th Asia Pet Fair officially kicked off at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Spanning five days, this year's edition has reached a record scale, featuring 17 main halls, 10 dedicated supply chain pavilions, and one outdoor zone. Across an expansive 320,000-square-meter exhibition space, over 2,600 premium global companies have gathered to showcase the latest achievements and cutting-edge trends in the pet industry. On the opening day, numerous visitors arrived with their pets or brimming with anticipation to experience this annual flagship event for the Asian pet industry.
"Cutting-Edge Tech" Illuminates Refined Pet Care, Over 2,000 New Products Make Their Debut
At this year's fair, intelligence and technology have emerged as the most compelling focal points. Honeywell unveiled a brand-new cat air purifier for the 2026 market, featuring an autonomous fur-suction system that efficiently purifies cat hair throughout the home. Its washable modular design and app-based remote control significantly enhance user convenience. PETKIT showcased its smart feeders and fully automatic smart cat litter boxes. According to company representatives, the brand has built a smart pet care ecosystem focused on pet health by combining innovative hardware solutions with cutting-edge AI technology. Relying on its full-stack, self-developed AI multimodal algorithms, the system achieves comprehensive monitoring and early warning of pet health. Meanwhile, Shanghai Xingchen Zhichong Technology Co., Ltd. presented a smart dog health harness. Unlike traditional smart collars, this product monitors vital metrics such as heart rate, body temperature, and HRV, utilizing AI to accurately assess the pet's health status, emotional fluctuations, and the probability of heatstroke.
It is reported that this year's fair has positioned "Global Premieres and Innovations" as its annual core, significantly upgrading the Asia-Pacific New Product Premiere and Innovation Initiative. On the opening day alone, more than 2,000 new global pet products made their premieres and debuts, covering the entire product spectrum. This trend is corroborated by consumer data. The 2026 Douyin E-commerce Pet Industry Consumption Trend Report reveals that over the past year, the top three categories in terms of transaction volume for smart devices were smart pet air purifiers, smart pet grooming tools, and smart auto-dispensing water fountains.
Multiple A-Share Listed Companies Showcase, Strategic Focus Shifts to Full-Category Growth
As the fundamental driver of the pet consumer market, the needs of dogs and cats continue to spur product innovation. Multiple A-share listed companies, including Peidi, Zhongchong, Gambol, Lusi, and Tianyuan, have brought their brands to the fair. Peidi's Jueyan brand focused on displaying its new-process staple pet foods, including air-dried, baked, and freeze-dried formulas. Chen Niehan, Vice President of Peidi and CEO of Peidi Zhichuang, noted that Jueyan underwent a brand upgrade in May this year, introducing the new concept of "Better Life for Health." He highlighted that the biggest differentiator this year is the shift from a snack-driven strategy to a full-category approach encompassing staple food, snacks, and wet food, leveraging the brand trust built through snacks to boost the acceptance of staple diets.
Zhongchong's Leading brand has launched targeted "Immunity+" functional staple food designed to address feline skin and intestinal issues, fortifying the defense line for pet health. Tianyuan Pet appeared with multiple brands including Petstar. A company representative stated that Petstar's core philosophy is "Human-Pet Life Aesthetics Plus," aiming to build brand trust by solving practical pain points while infusing products with aesthetic value.
Industry Report Released: Pet Economy Enters Phase of Refined Operations in a Mature Market
Behind the supply-side innovations lie structural changes across the entire pet industry. The Pet Industry Blue Book: 2026 China Pet Industry Development Report, released by the Asia Pet Fair Research Institute, points out that in 2026, China's pet industry is transitioning from an era of extensive scale expansion to a new cycle of value reconstruction in a mature market. Data shows that since 2023, the growth rate of the pet consumer market has remained between 4% and 5%, and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 4.3% in 2026, reaching 336.5 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the number of dogs and cats is expected to see a slight increase of 0.89% to 189 million in 2026. Industry insiders widely agree that the Chinese pet economy has shifted to a stage of refined operations within a mature market. Data from the Meituan platform also indicates that young consumers under 35 have become the main force in pet service consumption, accounting for over 70%.
Cross-Industry Enterprises Accelerate Entry, Capital Remains Optimistic About the Pet Sector
In addition to industry veterans, this year's fair has attracted numerous cross-industry enterprises accelerating their market entry. BYD brought its flagship models from Fangchengbao and Denza; Haier launched its "Mao Baibai" series of pet hair removal washing machines and set up a dedicated pet hair removal laundry room; Bright Food Group showcased its first pet food brand, "Bright Youyi," featuring premium staple food and nutritional supplements.
At the 15th International Pet Industry Summit—Asia CEO Summit, Hao Bo, Vice President of the Asia Pet Fair Association, analyzed that the logic of industry competition is shifting from a "product feature war" to a "lifestyle war." In the first half of 2026, food and beverage companies have densely entered the market by leveraging existing supply chains, while pharmaceutical companies have entered the prescription diet sector with pharmaceutical-grade standards. Additionally, industries such as sportswear, automotive, and home appliances continue to cross over. The capital landscape is equally active. The report shows that in 2026, there were 27 financing events in China's pet industry, a year-on-year increase of 69%, primarily concentrated in pet technology, medical and health, pet food, and pet supplies, demonstrating the immense potential and vitality of the industry in its refined stage.