In the dark days of retail, consumers’ online shift lifts US pet food companies

While the pet industry saw spiking demand as consumers grabbed an extra bag or two, declines in the aftermath of stockpiling have been just as sharp. Because pets aren’t eating any more than they normally would, retail sales that more than doubled in March have plummeted since, according to data from market research firm Nielsen. — Dreamstime/TNS

When the world locked itself down in March, Mars Inc saw people snap up pet food like never before. Then Poul Weihrauch, who leads the food company’s pet care division, noticed another trend that could be more long-lasting: e-commerce sales went up 100%.

It’s clear now that while the panic buying trend is over, sales of household goods have quickened their migration online. New data from the US Commerce Department on Friday showed grocery sales down 13.2% in April after a surge in March. But e-commerce growth remained strong, with non-store retail growth up 8.4%.