From Socials to Store: Are Online Pet Brands A Retailer’s Best Friend or Biggest Rival?

It’s 2024, and across industries, big changes are everywhere. But as the co-founder of Healthybud (and a millennial dog dad to Lyla) I’ll focus on the pet world…

Today’s dog owners are a whole new ‘breed’ - actually, even the term ‘dog owner’ is becoming something of the past; today, we are called ‘pet parents’. Many Gen-Z and Millennials are putting off having kids, and are fully content with raising pets instead. They view their dogs as family and are ready to spend a lot on them. Their relationship with their pets has evolved, and so have their shopping habits.

From a psychographic perspective, modern pet parents want to feel seen, heard, part of a community, and easily discover brands that align with their values. In-store, their instinct is to turn the back over and check the ingredients. Online, they turn to Instagram or TikTok to see what the brand stands for and if they relate.

So, where do brick-and-mortar stores fit in the evolving landscape of pet parenting? Can they remain relevant and appeal to today’s modern pet parent? I believe they absolutely can—but what will it take to make that happen?

From the start, we’ve set out to build Healthybud as an omni-channel pet wellness brand. Both the online and brick-and-mortar channels were integral parts of the strategy, and, both have significantly impacted the success of the other. But to our surprise, what we discovered along the way was that this strategy was going to be met with a lot of resistance; particularly in Canada.

A number of retailers here seem to have a more defensive stance, often shutting their doors to our line of premium dog food & treats, saying: ‘If your brand sells online, then I won’t carry your product in my store”. End of story. No interest in our differentiators or the value adds we’ve thoughtfully and carefully crafted for them and our customers.

We’re not alone in facing this challenge. While some brands thrive online alone, we chose to work with retailers as key partners. Healthybud is focused on building community, both online & in-person, sharing relevant social content - as we recognize this is almost a right of passage for a modern pet brand. Though that doesn’t come at the expense of setting aside ample time for in-store activations like ‘barktending’ and the other various layers of creative support that we provide our retail partners.

Yet, even with in-store promotions and offline support, retailers still worry about competition from online sales. So, we decided to dig deeper into the issue.

Last month, we conducted a survey with a group of our customers. We asked them where they shop (52% said 'both online & in-store' or 'in-store only', while 48% shopped 'online-only.' These numbers might not seem statistically significant at first glance, but here's the interesting part: 63 out of 65 respondents first discovered Healthybud online - mainly through Facebook and Instagram.

This reassured me that brands with strong online visibility drive sales and boost velocity across all channels. This showed us that when we spend our capital to acquire customers online, it directly benefits the independent pet stores that carry Healthybud or other brands investing on online growth. Let me explain more:

Currently, Healthybud is paying around $70 to get in front of and acquire a new customer online. While this is costly, we—and many other brands—understand that investing in this strategy is essential for building a presence. What we also know, further proven by our recent survey, is the customers we’ve acquired online also shop in-store - and sometimes more often than online.

Brands with an online presence also help boost retailer credibility as shoppers feel their store is relevant for carrying familiar brands. This leads to repeat customers who value and feel consistency across the in-store and online experiences.

It’s clear that the modern pet shopper is active on social media and it’s a modern brand's job to meet them where they are. While online brands and their increased visibility have positively impacted sales for independent pet boutiques, it seems, many indi-boutiques still remain slow to embrace and fully capitalize on this growing opportunity.

I recently wrote a post on LinkedIn where I shared some private statistics on Healthybud’s Amazon sales in an attempt to show the public that consumers are in fact hybrid shoppers (those who value both the in- store experience, and online convenience too.) Here’s what I shared:

Our top-rated Training Treats got 11,102 page views & 2,501 orders on Amazon (May-June).

That’s 8,601 people who saw our product page but didn’t impulse buy. In that same time, Healthybud sold 3,100 Training Treats to retail stores.

That velocity and translation of online success to in-store sales is being felt by a handful of first adopting distributors and retailers, who are now beginning to embrace the online brand-building efforts and ongoing investments made by brands, recognizing that when consumers visit stores, they’re more likely to purchase brands they’ve seen online.

The industry is clearly shifting in this direction, and my perspective is straightforward: you either adapt to stay ahead or ignore the trends and fall behind. It’s become clear that the marriage between online and in-store can work, but it will require effort and adjustments on both sides.

So, what’s your choice? Will you alienate online brands or embrace the opportunity they offer?

I’ll leave you with this thought:

For the independent pet boutiques who want to see the impact online-brands can make in your store we’re in early testing this concept of bringing the social/online success and online community to stores with Healthybud. Please, join us in exploring this exciting new way to bring the power of social media into your store. We’ll provide the in-store marketing materials and spend the time with you to strategize the setup.

The future is exciting and I can’t wait to see what comes from the pet boutiques who embrace the changes and adapt to what this generation of pet parents are seeking!

Written by Kyle Feigenbaum

CEO & Co-founder of Healthybud