Musti Group rewarded for excellent customer experience
Since its launch in 1988, Musti Group has grown from a single store in Finland to a major online retailer in three Nordic countries. This is how they have grown their success.
Matching products to pet owner needs
Nordic pet owners differ from other European pet owners. What makes them stand out is the demand for pet items that cater specifically to their needs. For instance, the preferred dog leash length in the Nordic countries is 180 cm long – as opposed to 120 cm in central Europe. The active, outdoor lifestyle of pet owners makes a longer leash length practical. Their close ties with nature are also noticeable in the absence of antibiotics in raw pet food produced from Nordic meat.
Online and app
As in all countries, the retail landscape in the Nordic countries is shifting since the advent of online. Currently, no less than 25% of the group’s turnover is generated through their online channels. They offer their clients the possibility to order products online and pick them up in a store or have them delivered at home.
Plans are to shortly launch a ‘Musti in Your Pocket’ app. The app will provide loyal customers all they need as pet parents: from simple online purchasing, to extensive pet information, including puppy training tips and tricks. All products offered online are also available through home delivery. To maintain a warm relationship with customers and drive engagement, many of the stores deliver additional veterinarian and grooming services.
Loyal customers
The Musti Group has 1.2 million loyal clients in a pet landscape of 5.2 million pets in total. For consecutive years, they have been listed as one of the three top Finnish companies offering the best customer experience.This modern and state-of-the-art retail chain’s success lies in its acknowledgement that today’s customer, the millennial, is different from their customer ten years ago. Purchase decisions have shifted from brain to heart. This is especially noticeable in the trend towards premiumisation: pet parents in Nordic countries are quicker to opt for a premium brand. Sustainability is also high on the pet parents’ agenda. It is for this reason that Musti has its own sustainable, private label brand: Gaia. These brand products are often produced locally, and always from recycled materials. Similarly, Musti no longer sells environmentally impacting silica cat litter.
Private label
Just like other retail chains, Musti Group has a range of private label products. However, these are not sold as private label brands, but as their own standalone brands. This makes it possible to compete with other premium brands. In the development of their own brands, the company focusses on pet parents’ needs. Face-to-face interviews and crowd sourcing surveys are organised to fully understand such needs and create the best customer value. This led to the insight that today’s customer is not interested in just purchasing a product. The customer is looking for a solution for their pet problem at any moment in time. To meet this need, customer relationship training is given to staff at the Musti Campus.
Future
Musti Group is optimistic about growth in future. In particular, the company sees significant growth potential in the already existing markets in Sweden and Norway.
Musti Group
The name of the company varies according to country: Musti ja Mirri in Finland, Arken Zoo in Sweden and Musti in Norway. Online players VetZoo, Animail.se and PetenKoiratarvike.com are also part of the Musti Group.
- 1988 Musti ja Mirri founded by Matti Varpula in Finland
- 2010 Opening of 50th store
- 2010 Private equity Vaaka Partners acquires Musti ja Mirri and appoints Mika Sutinen as CEO
- 2011 The start of the ‘green’ Musti era
- 2019 Musti Group has 206 own stores and 71 franchised stores in 3 countries
- 2019 1,300 pet professionals working for Musti Group