They are metro millennials. They are big spenders. They are crazy about dogs. Combine all three, and you get a brand-new demographic that’s taking pet product marketers by storm—the Indian DINKWAD (double-income, no kids with a dog).

India’s pet product and services industry is worth around Rs 12,500 crore. Of this, Rs 6,500 crore is just pet products, including food, treats, biscuits, etc. Services, including vets and specialised surgery, are worth another Rs 5,000 crore, while grooming services, including spa, bath, nail clipping, etc, are another Rs 1,000 crore business.

Says Nitin Jain, chief operating officer of Godrej Pet Care: “Across India’s top 200 cities, 50 per cent of pet adoptions are in single-child families at the insistence of the child. DINKWADs comprise around 15 per cent. People who choose not to marry are another 20 per cent, while empty nesters comprise 5-10 per cent, and parents of kids with special needs comprise another 5 per cent." Although single pet parents are a big chunk of adoptees, typically these are cat mums. For dogs, the DINKWAD is the second biggest demographic across India, he adds.

That background is important given that dogs comprise 65-70 per cent of all pet adoptions across India.........

© News18