A recent PYMNTS report, The Replenish Economy: A Deep Dive of Household Supplyrevealed that of the 15% of retail subscribers participating in the Chewy’s Goody Box pet food and toy subscription program, 53% now shop in stores more often while 11% of program participants no longer shop in stores for these items.
The study, drawn from a survey of more than 2,000 US consumers in September to better understand their subscription habits and how it affects their overall shopping habits, found that the services of subscription is changing traditional shopping patterns, leading to a decrease in physical foot traffic. retail locations. This trend indicates a shift towards more convenient and automated ways of procuring household goods, driven by the ease and predictability offered by subscription-based models, the report said.
E-commerce subscription players see pet food as an opportunity
According to PYMNTS, e-commerce players are increasingly seeing the pet food space as an opportunity. Some examples:
- In summer 2023, HelloFresh announced its new dog food subscription, The Pets Table, promising “human-grade” foods as part of the company’s push to become the world’s leading “fully integrated food solutions group” .
- British eGrocer Ocado is branching out into pet food, launching “fine dining” foods, including lamb with mint and salmon, designed “for younger, urban, thoughtful owners” who want choice and variety for their pets.
- In September, UK direct-to-consumer brand Butternut Box, which sells dog food subscriptions, announced that tit increased £280 million (US $353 million) in its most recent funding round.
The report cited the rise of digitally native subscription services in the pet supply industry as indicative of a shift in consumer behavior, which poses a challenge to traditional brick-and-mortar stores as convenience and automation is redefining the retail landscape.
For the full report, click here.
