In this analysis, we will conduct digital due diligence (DDD) on five leading pet food manufacturers in Europe: Affinity Petcare, United Petfood, Partner in Pet Food, Heristo AG, and Deuerer. The DDD covers key digital metrics, including social media presence, webpage performance, and digital popularity. This analysis will review how these brands perform across different digital channels, highlighting their strengths and areas for improvement, though it only provides a brief overview.

‍Digital Interest In Pet Food Industry

The pet food industry has seen steady growth in digital popularity over the last decade, with pet food manufacturers adapting to consumer preferences for high-quality, health-conscious products. Despite this positive trend, the market’s growth has slowed in recent years, reflecting increasing competition and saturation. Many brands are shifting their focus toward premium offerings, specialized diets, and environmentally sustainable practices, which align with the broader health trends seen in the food industry.

As the pet food market matures, digital engagement becomes even more critical. Digital strategies, including brand visibility, social media engagement, and search engine optimization, have become key components of growth for leading players in the market. 

How Pet Food Brands Are Engaging Pet Lovers on Social Media

Affinity Petcare leads the pack with over 115K followers across five platforms, though it lacks a presence on TikTok, which presents an opportunity for expansion on this growing platform. Affinity Petcare dominates Instagram, capturing a significant share of engagement and leveraging its strong brand presence to reach pet owners.

United Petfood ranks second with 12K followers, but its presence is heavily concentrated on LinkedIn, with 90.53% of its followers on that platform. This indicates a strong B2B focus, which aligns with its business model but leaves room for broader cross-platform engagement to reach more diverse audiences.

Among the five analyzed brands, LinkedIn emerges as the most popular social media platform, with over 82K followers, accounting for 60.07% of the total follower base. This highlights a clear B2B focus within the pet food industry, as LinkedIn allows pet food manufacturers to connect with partners, suppliers, and industry professionals. Facebook follows as the second most popular platform, with 30K followers, representing 22.11% of the total. Most brands in the pet food market appear to focus on one or two platforms, primarily LinkedIn and Instagram.

Webpage Performance of Leading Pet Food Brands

In today’s digital world, a brand’s website is a key indicator of its digital strategy and user experience. The pet food industry’s leading brands generally perform well on desktop, but there is a clear trend of lagging mobile performance. 

Heristo AG leads the industry in website performance, excelling across multiple indicators on both desktop and mobile, though there is room for improvement in desktop performance. Deuerer stands out for its strong search engine optimization (SEO), effectively enhancing content visibility and attracting traffic on both platforms. Additionally, Deuerer's commitment to accessibility makes its content usable for all, including those with disabilities, broadening audience engagement. Both Heristo AG and Deuerer have developed robust digital strategies that prioritize fast load times and strong search visibility.

Partner in Pet Food demonstrates strong performance, particularly in mobile user-friendliness, which ensures effective navigation and speed on smartphones and tablets. The brand also excels in desktop usability, adhering to the highest standards for web design and functionality to provide an optimal browsing experience for computer users. However, compared to competitors, there is still room for improvement in mobile performance, an essential focus area as more consumers rely on mobile devices for their online interactions. Despite its solid digital foundation, most pet food manufacturers still need to address the gap between desktop and mobile performance as users increasingly rely on mobile devices for online interactions.

Unleashing Digital Popularity in Top Pet Food Brands

Digital popularity is a key measure of brand visibility and consumer interest, revealing clear leaders and laggards among the five pet food manufacturers. United Petfood stands out as the leader in popularity over the past decade, reflecting a robust growth trajectory, although recent years have seen a slowdown in this momentum.

Partner in Pet Food, which previously held a dominant position in the industry from 2013 to 2018, ranks closely behind. While it faced a decline over the past decade, recent data indicate signs of recovery and renewed interest from consumers. Affinity Petcare SA, on the other hand, has shown remarkable long-term growth, positioning itself as the fastest-growing brand in the sector, despite facing stiff competition from newer entrants.

Interestingly, most pet food manufacturers show relatively low monthly search volumes, indicating limited brand recognition in search trends. This suggests significant opportunities for improving brand awareness and visibility through enhanced digital strategies.