Pandemic fuels online pet care category, up 50 per cent

Rakshnna Pattabiraman

6th Sep 2022

Australia’s pet parents are extending various luxuries to their ‘children’ driving online consumer spending up by 50 per cent during the past year.

According to IRI research, the pet care industry has surged “phenomenally” with consumers splurging top dollar on pet food, accessories and toys.

Consumers opted to buy bulky items such as pet food and cat litter online while still impulse buying pet treats in-store.

“The key takeaway here is that Australian households love their pets and enjoy pampering their fury loved ones,” said Alistair Leathwood, IRI’s chief commercial officer for Apac.

“Overall the adoption of online shopping across households is increasing at its fastest rate, largely due to households being locked down.”

Although 94 per cent of consumers still shop in-store, online shopping is increasingly popular – especially among younger households.

“We have also identified that younger households are spending more money on pet care products online. Most are likely new pet parents adopting pets during Covid and are more accustomed to buying online.”

Leathwood added households will likely embrace and adopt the convenience and ease of online shopping as society normalises post-pandemic.

“While inflation and other market pressures are continuing to impact shoppers, we still expect to see strong results in the pet care category moving forward.”