A hyper-convenient model that offers opportunities for everyday and specialty products

A poll of 4,000 customers across the UK, Germany and the Netherlands commissioned by Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET) in 2024 found that 77% of consumers identify pet care as a category where they expect to be shopping on-demand in the future.

Enhanced shopping experience

The poll findings show that 1 in 4 consumers struggle to find the items they want when shopping in-store, while half say that long checkout queues frustrate their shopping experience.

In addition, consumers think that on-demand delivery is 3x more stress-free than in-store shopping and 1.5x more comforting.

More and bigger orders

JET recently expanded into non-food categories, including pet care. The company has signed several partnerships to amplify its pet care offering, including with Fressnapf/Maxi Zoo in Austria, Switzerland and Ireland, Anicura in the Netherlands, Guaw in Spain and Just for Pets in the UK.

In 2024, pet product orders at JET soared by 200%, while basket sizes grew by 260%. The company has delivered more than 1 million orders containing at least 1 pet care item.

Within the platform, products for dogs dominate, appearing in 58% of consumer baskets, while cat products make up 37%.

The other 5% accounts for other pets, including fish, birds, rodents and reptiles. On average, pet owners purchase 8 items per order, highlighting the growing market for on-demand pet essentials.

Regional differences

In Austria and Switzerland, where JET entered into its first partnership with a pet brand, consumers are now more familiar with the offering, so basket sizes are higher at an average of 8 and 9 items respectively.

In the UK, pet owners typically buy 5 items per order, while markets where the offer is newer are lower – but growing. This increasing basket size signals a shift in consumer behavior.

Ordering patterns

Sales within the pet care category are more frequent toward the end of the week and beginning of the day, as pet parents plan their weekends and day ahead.

Aligned with other verticals, orders spike at the beginning of the month after payday. The largest recorded pet care order so far at €248 ($269) reflects the change in purchasing patterns – that’s more than just some last-minute dog food and cat litter.

Over the Christmas season, one of JET’s biggest partners reported that festive pet products accounted for over 10% of its sales, highlighting a strong appetite for seasonal pet offerings. The bestselling SKUs during this period skewed toward festive flavored treats.

The best performing items were pigs in blankets, turkey-wrapped carrot twists and filled Santa and reindeer treats.

Who’s selling and who’s buying?

While grocery retailers continue to dominate pet care sales through the JET platform, specialized retailers are closing the gap.

With these retailers, sales are largely made up of dog supplies, with frozen dog food, dry dog food and dog treats the best-performing SKUs.

The company is also noticing a growing interest in raw dog food from dog-specialized partners – a premium option for owners looking to go the extra mile.

During 2024, in the UK alone, JET saw 316,000 searches for ‘dog’, 420,000 for ‘cat’ and 174,000 for ‘cat litter’, showing the scale of interest in on-demand pet care products.

The top searched brands on the platform globally were Felix, Pedigree and Whiskas.

The convenience lifestyle

In Europe, 46% of households have at least 1 pet and the pet care industry itself is expected to reach $350 billion (€323B) globally by 2027.

JET data shows that millennials, who make up a third of pet parents, are especially focused on convenience. With busy lifestyles, they’re always looking for ways to make pet care easier.

Products such as luxury pet fashion, as well as functional and healthy food options, are becoming regular items in these shoppers’ baskets.

An on-demand platform offers an opportunity to meet their high expectations by delivering specialty products that might not always be available at the grocery store.