This year, Galaxus customers bought over double the pet supplies compared to 2020. It seems the Fluffies, Flopsies and Pollies of this world are being increasingly spoiled and humanised.
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The pandemic has triggered a downright pet boom. At present, forty per cent of Swiss households have at least one furry, feathered or scaly flatmate. While this has boosted demand for pet supplies overall, online retail has benefitted more than most. In 2020, the online department store Galaxus sold more than three times as much pet food, toys, litter, etc. compared to 2019 (+336%). And in the current year, sales have more than doubled again (+120% as of mid-December). Meanwhile, thousands of products for pets go over Galaxus’s virtual counter every day.
«Convenience is an important factor in our success,» says Seraina Lanfranchi, who’s responsible for the pet supplies range at Galaxus. «Many people prefer heavy bags of pet food or litter, scratching posts or aquariums delivered to their doorstep instead of picking up the bulky items at a specialist store.» She adds that the range available online is larger and often cheaper than in local brick-and-mortar stores. Galaxus, for example, now has over 30,000 pet products in its range. And a further expansion is planned for 2022.
«This year, we’ve focussed on expanding our pet food range,» says Seraina. In addition to mainstream brands including Felix, Whiskas, Sheba, Pedigree or Royal Canin, Galaxus now also features niche brands such as Lily’s Kitchen. Sales have grown accordingly. The year 2021 saw cat and bird food sales triple, while two and a half times as much dog food was bought by Galaxus customers. Sales of cat litter grew even more.
At the top of Galaxus’s sales ranking is cat food and dog food. It seems that customers (or their pets) are becoming increasingly demanding: «We’re seeing a premiumisation of food and an increasing humanisation of pets in Switzerland and Liechtenstein,» says Seraina. In other words, an increasing number of pet owners want to serve their critters unparalleled culinary experiences. This goes hand in hand with a preference for natural ingredients, superfoods and sustainably produced pet food.
In third place on the sales charts are feeding bowls. In addition to conventional models, smart gadgets are among the best-sellers – think automatic feeders or drinking fountains. And in the field of cat toys and dog toys, there’s a trend towards educational and intelligence toys.
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