Online stores consumers buy pet products from in the U.S. 2019

According to a pet owners survey carried out in 2018, Amazon.com was the online retailer which 23 percent of respondents had used to purchase pet products in the past three months in the United States. Walmart.com was the second most popular online platform for such purchases, with 22 percent of respondents stating that they had bought pet products there.

Online purchasing trends

The share of American consumers using online channels for pet product purchases has gradually increased from six percent in 2010 to 17 percent in 2017. According to a recent survey of dog owners who buy pet products online, dry pet food was the leading product purchased online in the past 12 months, followed by pet treats and chews. Dry cat food and cat litter were the top items purchased using e-commerce channels among cat owners in the same survey.

Why use online channels?

Convenience and competitive pricing were stated as the top motivations for purchasing pet products online among surveyed U.S. pet owners. Other highly cited reasons included good value due to free shopping, product selection and easier price comparison than in-store.