Atlantic Canadians are more likely to buy pet food at Walmart or supermarkets, while B.C. residents turn to Costco in larger numbers, new research shows.

Those are some of the insights revealed in a Field Agent Canada State of Pet Ownership and Care study of 432 pet owners.

The new data shows 32% of Atlantic Canadians compared with 20% of Quebecers, usually buy pet food at supermarkets. Also, 60% of Atlantic Canadians usually shop at Walmart, compared with only 42% of pet owners in the Prairies.

More than four in 10 B.C. residents report they typically buy pet food at Costco, compared with only 18% of Atlantic Canadians and 30% of Ontarians.

The Field Agent Canada numbers show that Ontarians and Quebecers are much more likely to report they usually shop online at specialty pet food stores (19%) than Atlantic Canadians (4%) or British Columbians (9%).

British Columbians, by contrast, are far more likely to favor in-store specialty pet food experiences (60%), compared with approximately 50% for the rest of the country.

Quebecers and Ontarians meanwhile, are mostly likely to favour non-GMO pet food ingredients (46% and 42%), while Prairies and Atlantic Canada are likely to favour them the least (32%). Quebecers are more likely to opt for grain-free as well (46%), compared to Ontario (32%).

Canadians in the Prairies are most brand loyal: about three quarters of Prairie dwellers report that they always buy the same pet food brand or type. This compares with 64% of Atlantic Canadians and Quebeckers and 52% of British Columbians.

About one in four British Columbians (24%) buy different brands for variety, slightly higher than the national average, with Prairie residents being least likely to trial different brands (9%).

For pet accessories, there is a big gulf between those who usually do their spend at Walmart among Atlantic Canadians (75%) and the Prairies (39%), while Quebecers and Ontarians shop Walmart in roughly equal numbers (approximately 50%).

For pet accessory spend in-store at specialty retailers, there is opportunity in the Quebec market, where only 39% of respondents typically do this kind of shopping, compared with 64% in the Prairies and 61% in Atlantic Canada.

Trupanion and Desjardins are the two most popular pet insurers reported in the survey and Quebec and BC residents are most likely to report filing at least one claim.

Quebec respondents are also most likely to report a pet has a social media account (73%) with Ontario and Atlantic Canada, the least likely (57%).