The ever-increasing need for speedy deliveries

In the last 12 months, a number of major pet retailers – both online and offline – have introduced a new delivery service or expanded their existing one by adding next-day or even same-day options in a bid to attract new customers, retain existing ones, and give themselves a clear competitive edge. This new delivery approach now seems to be spreading to other retailers in the pet industry.

State of play

In July 2022, the UK’s Pets at Home expanded its same-day delivery option to a total of 128 UK stores, in collaboration with logistics firm Stuart. In September of the same year, Mars started working with grocery delivery platform Instacart to make its entire portfolio, including brands such as Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas, available to 90% of the US population via rapid delivery. And in December, US company PetSmart teamed up with distribution platform Shipt to enable same-day delivery of its pet food, supplies and accessories.

Rapid delivery is already well-established in parts of Asia and the Middle East too. In Dubai, for example, Pet’s Delight – which sells through 10 UAE stores as well as online – offers both same-day and next-day delivery for orders placed prior to 8.30 a.m. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, Singapore is one example of a market with a high e-commerce adoption rate. Pet parents in the nation-state now have a plethora of options to choose from, with Happy Town Pets, PetCubes and Bubble Pets among the numerous retailers offering same-day delivery options.

Quick is key

This global trend is being driven by the same factors that are fueling the growth of rapid delivery across all consumer goods categories, according to Beth Tofel, founder of PawprintID, a digital health service for pets. “As humans, we’re continuing to demand faster delivery and we’re not changing those habits when it comes to our pets,” she says. “With everything else in our lives at our fingertips, pet parents want the same level of instant gratification. We also want to be able to care for our pets in the same amount of time we care for ourselves or our children. Quick is key.”

Meeting these emerging customer expectations isn’t always easy. After all, same-day delivery services require highly efficient and often costly distribution networks. For some major retailers, this can be achieved using their existing logistics frameworks. For example, when US health and wellness retailer Petco expanded same-day delivery across its entire catalog of fresh and frozen food in 2021, it was able to leverage its nearly 1,500 existing fulfillment centers to do so. “This expansion builds on our successful same-day delivery program and gives us a distinct competitive advantage over retailers who ship these products more slowly and with greater environmental impact,” said Chief Digital and Innovation Officer Darren MacDonald at the time.

Delivery apps

Alternatively, retailers can opt to offer rapid delivery in conjunction with specialist partners, whether logistics specialists, food delivery companies or rapid delivery apps. When PetSmart announced its nationwide partnership with Target-owned Shipt in late 2022, for example, it benefited from an ecosystem of brands already sold via the platform and an existing network of rapid delivery customers, half of whom are pet parents, according to Shipt.

Other rapid delivery apps have broadened their portfolio from groceries to pet products. Beelivery now makes major brands – including Whiskas, Pedigree, Iams, Cesar, Purina, Harringtons, Wainwrights and Sheba – available to urban UK consumers in as little as 15 minutes, for example, using a crowd-sourced delivery driver model.

Zapp does much the same with high-end brands, including Daylesford, Scrumbles and The Pack, getting them to consumers’ doorsteps in as little as 20 minutes. “Our mission is to delight customers with things that make them happy, the moment they need it and this includes last-minute treats and staples for their much-loved pets,” says Steve O’Hear, Senior VP of Strategy at Zapp. The company says its platform has seen demand for pet products increase recently, with peak ordering taking place between 10 p.m. and midnight. Premium wet and dry food as well as cat litter are among its best-performing products.

Rapid trajectory

Rapid delivery of pet care products is clearly on an upward trajectory globally, according to Wendy Diamond, Chief Pet Officer of Animal Fair Media. Not only did same-day delivery orders for pet supplies increase by 293% during the pandemic, but this service in the pet care industry remains “a rapidly growing trend, with a projected 8.7% yearly increase from 2021 to 2028,” she says. What’s more, this option attracts a demographic with higher levels of disposable income, who are prepared to dig deep for the convenience. In short, “pet parents are willing to pay more for same-day delivery”.

It is evident that, in the post-pandemic era, customers increasingly expect to be able to obtain pet care products with the same speed and convenience as they do their groceries, fashion items and other essentials. For retailers, there’s a strong incentive to meet that need as fast as they can.