Pedigree maintains lead in Australian dog food market

Pedigree remained the leading brand in Australia’s packaged dog food market through the first four months of 2026.

The findings from Conjointly Brand Tracker showed that Royal Canin recorded the strongest growth in consumer consideration and Nature’s Gift emerged as a standout performer in converting awareness into purchases.

By April, Pedigree led all major measures tracked by the study, recording 77 per cent aided awareness, 38 per cent consideration, 37 per cent purchase in the previous six months and 20 per cent preferred brand status.

Its closest competitors varied across the purchase funnel. Supercoat recorded 58 per cent awareness, 28 per cent consideration and 22 per cent purchase, while Royal Canin reached 56 per cent awareness, 34 per cent consideration and 21 per cent purchase.

Yutian Shen, Market Researcher at Conjointly, said the results showed a market with a clear leader but increasing competition beneath the surface.

“Our first four months of continuous tracking in the packaged dog food category reveal a market led by Pedigree with consistency, but also one with genuine competitive dynamism beneath the surface.”

Pedigree’s purchase rate showed the most movement during the tracking period, falling from 31 per cent in December to 27 per cent in February before recovering to 36 per cent in March and 37 per cent in April.

The February decline coincided with a drop in consideration from 37 per cent to 33 per cent, although both measures rebounded in subsequent months. Preferred brand status remained relatively stable, ranging between 17 per cent and 21 per cent across the four survey waves.

Royal Canin recorded the strongest sustained increase in consideration of any brand tracked, rising from 28 per cent in December to 34 per cent in April.

The increase came despite a decline in aided awareness, which fell from 62 per cent in February to 56 per cent in April. Royal Canin also held the second-highest preferred brand score in April at 14 per cent, behind Pedigree’s 20 per cent.

Shen said the data highlighted shifts that may not be visible through awareness figures alone.

“Royal Canin’s sustained consideration growth despite falling awareness, and Nature’s Gift’s conversion efficiency despite mid-tier reach, are exactly the kinds of signals that brand tracking is designed to surface. Raw awareness rankings alone would have missed both.”

Nature’s Gift stood out among mid-tier brands for its ability to convert awareness into purchases. In April, the brand recorded 41 per cent awareness and 17 per cent purchase in the previous six months, equating to an awareness-to-purchase conversion rate of about 40 per cent.

That compared with Advance, which recorded 40 per cent awareness and 8 per cent purchase, and Hill’s, which achieved 42 per cent awareness and 11 per cent purchase.

The study was based on responses from 1,778 Australian adults who had purchased packaged dog food within the previous six months. Participants were surveyed across four waves between December 2025 and April 2026, with results weighted to reflect national demographics.

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