4A) The pet supplements sector may expect significant growth over the next decade, yet its long‑term credibility will depend on how effectively the industry responds to the evolving needs, expectations, and experiences of pet owners.

As pets become increasingly integrated into family life, owners are seeking clearer guidance, more transparent claims, and products supported by evidence that reflects the day‑to‑day realities of caring for animals. This shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge: the sector can no longer rely solely on traditional study frameworks or high‑level claims. Instead, companies must ensure that the owner’s perspective - what they observe, value, and are willing to trust - is integrated into how evidence is generated, interpreted, and communicated.

Recent regulatory interactions that we had at IQVIA underscore the consequences of insufficient transparency around evidence generation. Even well‑constructed proposals can face extended clarification cycles when assumptions, methodologies, or relevance to real‑world pet behaviour are not made explicit.

These operational challenges raise a broader question: is the industry well-prepared for providing pet owners with the information critical to their decision-making? Some of the traditional claims may be technically accurate yet fail to resonate with owners because they do not align with observable changes or the practical outcomes owners consider meaningful.

Looking ahead, the sector must adopt a more holistic and owner‑centric approach to evidence planning. This means identifying outcomes that owners genuinely notice (for example, changes in the mobility of the pet, digestive comfort, coat condition, and so on), and ensuring these are embedded into study endpoints, measurement tools, and data interpretation. Real-world owner‑reported outcomes, whether collected through structured observational studies or broader ecosystems of usage data, are essential not because they are “nice to have,” but because they reflect how pets actually live, respond, and improve outside controlled research settings.

Transparency will be key to strengthening trust. Pet owners frequently express confusion about how supplements work, what constitutes credible evidence, and how to distinguish between meaningful claims and marketing noise. Clearer communication, grounded in transparent methodologies and owner‑relevant evidence, will be crucial for improving literacy and enabling informed decision‑making. Companies that prioritize this clarity can help shift the category away from opacity and unsupported claims toward a more trustworthy, responsible model of innovation.

Ultimately, the future success of the pet supplements market will depend on how well the industry listens to pet owners and integrates their real needs into scientific and regulatory workflows. Evidence generation must evolve to reflect the lived experiences of pets and their families, not just laboratory or expert‑driven expectations. By centering the owner’s voice - while maintaining methodological rigor and regulatory transparency - the sector can deliver products that are both scientifically credible and genuinely meaningful in the everyday lives of pets and the people who care for them.