Opinion
Changes to the ways we live and work could mean years of extra business for pet supply stores, says Erich Schwartzel. His article prompts reflection on how we got here from an animal health supply and services standpoint.
Source: The long tail of the pandemic puppy business, Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2021. Link.
Petco, the animal-supply retailer, was a beneficiary of a pet boom during the long months of stay-at-home orders, when more than three million new pets were purchased or adopted.”
INSIGHTS: Let’s face it. Ethical and OTC are fast becoming words of the past as the pet business follows the B2C trends animal health pros remember in livestock segments during the late 1970s and 1980s. Animal supply catalogs dug into animal owner pocketbooks and capitalized on growing UPS and FedEx logistic capacities. Companies such as Lextron and Walco made regional branches logical for heavy feeds and supplies while supplying packaged goods from branch stores or route trucks.
Now, a rapidly expanding, morphing pet business emerges as a beast unpinned by the internet and sophisticated logistics services. 2-step, 3-step, even 4-step supply chains have been remodeled to provide products and services as close to the pet as possible. It is a top priority.
Veterinarians remain key influencers, but likely no longer hold the primary contact position for products, some services and even decision support. In 2021 and beyond, redefining how pet owners gain access to veterinary teams for preliminary decision support holds promise for retaining and growing first contact metrics, as well as revenue using asynchronous digital tele-technology.