Even though the online pet industry may seem a little shaky as evidenced by last week’s acquisition of Petsmart.com by Pets.com, a new study suggest that the market may have a bright future.
Seventy-five percent of pet owners who access the Internet are aware of online pet stores, up from 55 percent in September, according to a report released by NPD Group, Port Washington, NY, and Media Metrix, New York.
Although 27 percent have shopped at an online pet store, only 14 percent made an actual purchase online. While the category penetration is still low, the good news is that customer satisfaction is high. Among the 14 percent who made an online purchase, 97 percent said they were satisfied, with 68 percent saying they were very satisfied with the experience.
Even better news is that 59 percent of those shoppers said they would shop again over the next three months.
The survey was compiled from 2,084 surveys that were completed in May.
