The Chinese pet toy industry is undergoing a profound transformation from OEM production to brand overseas expansion. Zhejiang Tianyuan Pet, which has been deeply involved in the industry for over 20 years, is a typical representative. Over the past years, Tianyuan Pet has produced products for overseas clients such as Walmart, Amazon, and Chewy through ODM and OEM methods. After going public in 2022, the company began to explore the path of brand overseas expansion, establishing the sub-brand Made4Pets, and first entered Amazon to test the waters, and then entered TikTok Shop in 2024.

The transformation has achieved remarkable results. Made4Pets, a large-sized cat scratching post that struggled to sell in offline channels due to its excessive size, became popular on TikTok thanks to a short video of about 10 seconds - in the video, a nearly 20-pound fat cat climbed onto the scratching post and securely grasped it. The scene sparked heated discussions in the comment section, and within a day, nearly 700 orders were sold, completely clearing the inventory. Bao Yaohu, the TikTok manager of Tianyuan Pet's cross-border e-commerce, said that in offline channels, consumers are faced with shelves, and the products that are easy to sell are those with standard sizes and favorable prices. However, social media has allowed those "non-standard" products to be rediscovered.

Meanwhile, the own brand Petstar under Tianyuan Pet recently released official authorized pet products for the French and Portuguese national teams, becoming the first pet brand in China to have an official association with the World Cup. The series of associated products cover all categories such as pet clothing, interactive toys, travel backpacks, and themed pet beds. The company also jointly launched the "Chang'an Pet Care Plan" series of associated products in collaboration with the popular TV drama "Chang'an 24 Strategies".

The latest data from the American Pet Products Association shows that 51% of consumers typically purchase pet products online, which is higher than the 47% who do so in physical stores. Social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are playing a crucial role in consumers' purchasing decisions.