Buying Pet Food Online Rises Due To The Coronavirus, US Data 2020

CivicScience polled consumers in 2020 finding that 76% of pet owners are concerned about the quality of the pet food they purchase. The coronavirus threat affected our lives in various ways and also changed the pet purchases. The most noticeable change was that 17% of consumers are ordering pet food online more than they usually would amidst the coronavirus outbreak. CivicScience conducted an additional poll finding that while 17% of consumers are ordering pet food online more, another 7% is buying less food and supplies online due to the spread of the coronavirus.

Overall, pet owners are not overly worried about their pets at this time. While some pet owners are concerned that their pet will contract the coronavirus (30%), a slightly higher amount of 36% are concerned that they will not have enough pet food for the next 3 to 4 weeks. The results of this analysis show how much pet owners care about their furry family members.

Furthermore, 24% of cat owners shop more at Bib box store like Target, Walmart etc, 26% at grocery store, 7% at local pet store and 12% at a chain pet store. Also, 13% of cat owners prefer an online pet supplier while 7% shop online from Amazon. Concerning dog owners, 23% buy pet food and supplies at a Big box store, 22% at a grocery store, 16% at a local pet store and 13% at a chain pet store. A 9% of dog owners prefer an online pet supplier while 5% shop online from Amazon.

Generally speaking when pet owners were asked where do they purchase most of their pet food and supplies, 22% answered at a Big box store (Target, Walmart etc), 21% at a grocery store, 12% at a local pet store and 16% at a chain pet store (PetSmart, Petco etc.). At the same time 11% prefer an online pet supplier (Chewy, etc.) and 6% shop online from Amazon.

The majority of pet owners (46%) value a balance between the brand and the price of the pet food that they decide to purchase. When price or brand is more heavily valued, brand loyalty wins out in the pet food space over price with 40% in comparison to just 14% who care about price first.

When comes the question how concerned are pet owners about the quality of the pet food they buy, 76% answered that they are really concerned while 24% they are not concerned.

Findings also showed that women are more likely to be very concerned about the quality of the pet food they buy. Those most concerned with quality are more likely to shop with an online pet supplier like Chewy. It’s crucial to mention that those who love cooking are more concerned with the quality of pet food that they buy. As age increases, the likelihood to be concerned about the quality of pet food that they buy increases with 83% of Baby Boomers concerned to some degree. Dog owners care about the quality of pet food 15% points more than cat owners. Consumers who value locally-owned establishments are more concerned about the quality of pet food that they buy.

Sixty-seven percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). This is up from 56% of U.S. households in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted. Furthermore, for 2020, it is estimated  that 99 billion dollars will be spent on pets in the U.S. A 27% of American pet owners admit to having had professional photographs taken of their pets while 36% of Americans give their dog birthday presents. Nine in 10 Americans say
they consider their pet to be a part of their family and 555,000 households in the United States have a pet snake. Although it seems strange, half of all pet owners in the USA admit to talking to their pets. Romania, according to data has the world’s most balanced pet population, with 45% of households owning dogs and 45% of households owning cats.