As the Global Insight Manager for Pet Care, based in Euromonitor’s Singapore office, Sahiba oversees research globally for the industry. She is responsible for strategic analysis covering corporate strategies, market and consumer trends, competitive intelligence, retail performance and opportunity analysis across the global pet care industry.
Sahiba has extensive experience in client engagement and strategic research delivery in the pet care industry. She combines global perspective with regional expertise to advise clients on consumer behaviour, local market shifts and category outlooks – translating trends into actionable guidance. She has shared her insights on various pet care topics at the industry events, including Pet Fair Southeast Asia, Pet Food Forum and GlobalPETS Forum. Her work and comments have been cited across a variety of publications and media interviews.
Sahiba previously worked in the financial research industry, focusing on private equity and venture capital deals.
Question 1. You’re a Mathematics graduate and worked as a Research Associate. What drove you towards the pet industry? When were you first introduced to the pet sector, and when did you decide to pursue a career in this industry?
I worked my way into the pet care sector while navigating my research career at Euromonitor. My initial years at the company gave me exposure to a variety of CPG industries, including Home Care, Consumer Appliances & Electronics and Beauty and Personal Care, among others. This cross-industry exposure was crucial in seeing the dynamic nature of consumer behaviours across categories.
I was introduced to pet care at a time when I was looking to specialise in an industry. What drew me to it was an innate understanding of the category and its associated consumer behaviours, having grown up with a variety of pets of my own.
It was my dad who introduced me to the world of pets during my formative years. In addition to my love and respect for animals, he helped me understand how to care for them. So, in some ways, it was all the dogs, birds, fishes and the occasional white mice and rabbits that I grew up with who truly introduced me to the pet sector.
At Euromonitor, I was able to expand my existing knowledge of the sector into industry expertise through the global research conducted on pet care. It’s been five years since I got introduced to it, and I still get excited about connecting the dots and spotting outliers during every research cycle.
Question 2. What has been your experience with analytics, technology and understanding petfood consumers, and how has AI influenced the industry over the years?
On the analytics front, my relationship with data has evolved from being tactical to more strategic. Today, my time is spent on analysing not just what the data says, but also the underlying message it conveys. My focus is on cross-referencing data points, connecting the dots, identifying patterns and spotting anomalies to turn complex datasets into practical findings.
On the technology front, dashboards and predictive tools have been instrumental in driving analysis. Today, AI adds a layer of agentic workflow management, insight augmentation and narrative intelligence.
The digitally native, modern pet parent has also evolved in a similar manner. Their use of technology has shifted from stand-alone digital platforms to integrated one-stop solutions, with Gen AI now increasingly adding a layer of personalisation.
This is particularly prominent in the pet health and wellness space. AI-powered devices like wearables, pet cameras, litter boxes and feeders enable tracking and monitoring various pet health and behavioural cues, with real-time diagnostics enabling early intervention. AI-powered nutrition assistants offer personalised guidance on diet, ingredients, toxicity, etc, empowering pet parents to make the best possible decision for their pets.
Given the sophisticated levels of pet humanisation we are seeing today, AI-powered technology is increasingly becoming an ally for pet parents seeking more autonomy and clarity in knowing what’s going on with their pet.
Question 3. Working in Singapore, how do you see the Asia-Pacific pet care market evolving compared with the European market?
Working from Singapore, I see Asia-Pacific as the more dynamic growth region. Europe remains much larger and more mature, but slower growth and moderating consumption are bringing in stronger pressure to premiumise.
According to Euromonitor Pet Care research, value sales of pet care in Asia-Pacific are forecast to grow at a CAGR of four percent over 2026-2031, in constant terms. Southeast Asia and India are the growth frontiers, where rising pet populations, evolving pet parent sensibilities and low packaged food penetration create room to expand both the consumer base and category consumption.
Both regions are seeing greater demand for targeted nutrition and credible health benefits. However, Asia-Pacific has a wider spectrum of needs. Premium and affordable premium products are growing alongside economic offerings, while local and regional brands are succeeding by understanding market-specific preferences, pricing and distribution. Europe’s story is more about value polarisation, with private labels premiumising and core-premium brands becoming more specialised.
Question 4. What role does digital commerce play in the pet sector in terms of consumer behaviour, demand and product discovery?
Digital commerce has been influential in shaping how consumers discover, evaluate and purchase pet products. In Asia-Pacific in particular, the role of e-commerce has expanded beyond a transactional channel into a discovery and engagement platform. Social commerce, live streaming and user-generated content are shortening the discovery-to-purchase journey. Quick commerce is enabling just-in-time fulfilment while creating avenues to deploy hyper-localised market penetration and expansion strategies for brands.
As consumers in Asia-Pacific are increasingly getting used to convenient, personalised and seamless shopping experiences, petfood brands must look at new-age digital channels as engines of demand generation.
Question 5. Looking ahead, how do you see pets’ healthcare, nutritional diets and feeding preferences evolving over the next five to six years? Based on the research findings, what factors should manufacturers consider when planning their business strategies?
Looking ahead to 2031, I expect pet owners to take a health-first approach towards pet consumables. Prevention will be a key purchase consideration, with on-pack and back-of-pack messaging playing a critical role. At the same time, I expect true health-based differentiation to come from scientific evidence as we move from a ‘claims-economy’ to an ‘evidence-economy’. Petfood formulations will become more targeted and specific as feeding preferences get determined by the expected outcome of consumption.
When mapping out the longer-term strategies, manufacturers need to consider efficacy and affordability.
Treat efficacy as the next premiumisation lever. Shift from generic health messaging to evidence-based outcomes. Back this with clinical validation and transparent communication to establish credibility.
At the same time, brands must also balance premiumisation with the affordability tension. Build portfolios that are designed to serve consumers as their spending power evolves. Consider portfolio architecture or pack sizes that create pathways to premium offerings. Winning the premium segment tomorrow starts with engaging the aspiring consumer today.
And finally, apply AI with purpose. Deploy AI-based solutions that address genuine pet parent needs and deliver tangible benefits. In an AI-enabled future, success will be determined less by legacy and more by the ability to innovate.
