宠物和电商是一个天然的结合体，在疫情期间更是如此。
超过三分之二的美国家庭至少拥有一只宠物。随着宠物主人越来越多地选择在家购物，与宠物相关的公司正在加紧抢占行业支出份额，预计2020年美国的宠物支出将达到约990亿美元。
电子商务时报》采访了在线宠物产品销售和服务领域的多位专家，了解他们对这一市场趋势的看法。
"眼下，正值流行病流行，当然在流行病的早期阶段也是如此，许多宠物主人出于安全防范的考虑，一直在网上购物。"美国宠物产品协会总裁兼首席执行官史蒂夫-金告诉《电子商务时报》。"虽然宠物零售商被认为是必不可少的，并且在疫情期间大部分时间都保持营业，但许多宠物主人都选择安全起见，呆在家里，在网上订购。"
无论是纯玩电商还是实体店和数字销售相结合的电商，都看到了网购需求的增长。
"有几个关键的线上零售商，如亚马逊和Chewy.com对这一趋势贡献很大，他们在网上向宠物主人大力营销，并真正关注客户服务和保留，有竞争力的价格和优质产品，"King说。
"此外，其他主要的宠物零售商，如Petco，PetSmart和Walmart也在做更多的工作，以扩大他们对客户的接触，并增加他们的在线业务，"他补充道。
便利性是推动宠物相关在线销售的一大因素。在网上购买宠物用品通常只是简单的方便，特别是对于大件商品和经常需要的产品。
"从宠物主人的角度来看，让笨重的物品直接送到你的家门口有很大的吸引力，"金解释说。"例如，对于像食物和猫砂这样的物品，人们知道他们经常需要，被提供一个经常减少的定价的自动运输订阅是很难竞争的。
"宠物产品制造商可以通过影响者或广告在网上锁定他们的客户，宠物主人可以直接点击那里的直接链接，阅读评论，了解更多关于产品和成分的信息，并在短短几天内将其运送到门口。"
必备产品
考虑到消费者的需求，宠物相关公司正越来越多地提供各种购物、运输、送货和取货方式。
"我们知道安全和便利性仍然是消费者的首要任务，因此我们继续加强我们的在线和应用程序体验，以确保宠物父母可以安全地购物，没有麻烦或运输延误，"Petco的首席数字和创新官Darren MacDonald告诉电子商务时代。"从物流的角度来看，我们认为专注于BOPUS、路边、从店内发货和在线预订流程是保持竞争力的关键。"
许多宠物产品，毕竟是必不可少的--即使消费者在其他方面有所削减。
"消费者可能不会在度假或去电影院旅行方面进行消费，但他们会很好地照顾他们的宠物，我们预计这种情况会持续下去，"MacDonald说。
虚拟狗训练
不仅是宠物产品电商迎来了发展。狗训练等服务也越来越多地搬到了网上。
"在线狗狗训练中教授的方法和技术与训练师亲自向客户教授的方法和技术是一样的，"SpiritDog Training的所有者和创始人Steffi Trott告诉《电子商务时代》。"我们强调同样的关键方面：让训练变得积极，保持高奖励率，激励狗狗做得好，防止它演练不好的和不需要的行为。
"区别在于如何传达内容。亲临现场的训犬师可以从字面上把狗链掌握在自己手中，而在线训犬师则必须在视频中演示如何教授行为。这就带来了额外的挑战和要求：只有非常优秀的老师才能通过数字手段以及亲身实践来传递信息。"
虽然疫情促进了对在线狗训练的需求，但即使在疫情结束后，该领域很可能会继续出现扩张。
"这场大流行推动了在线狗训练的发展--就像许多电子学习业务一样，"Trott解释说。"主人正在意识到从家里训练他们的狗的价值和便利性。它节省了时间和金钱。
"在你的客厅里对你的狗进行五分钟的训练，可能与开车去狗学校，花一个小时参加集体课程，然后开车回家一样有效。因为在线训练让伟大的训练只需每天投入一点时间就能实现，所以它让大量的狗主人都能享受到狗训练的便利和可行性。"
客户留存计划
随着宠物相关电子商务世界的不断发展和壮大，专家表示，对于那些拥有创造性和竞争性战略的公司来说，未来的前景是光明的。
"在线企业正在寻找创造性的方法，利用趋势性的电子商务功能来吸引和留住客户，"3dcart的首席运营官Jimmy Rodriguez告诉《电子商务时代》。"一个很好的例子是提供自动送货服务，让宠物主人订阅定期收到宠物食品或其他用品。
"对于有实体店的商店来说，可以在线购买并在店内取货已经成为一个独特的差异化因素，在结账时展示这一点是这一策略的关键。一些商店，如运行在3dcart电子商务平台上的Lambert Vet Supply，允许顾客创建一个'宠物档案'，并将他们的宠物保存到他们的账户中，让他们可以轻松地为宠物订购食物、用品，甚至处方药。"
在线产品和服务将继续将宠物主人与电商企业联系起来，在大流行期间及以后，给他们提供所需所求。
"考虑到宠物是家庭，如果主人不放心进入实体宠物店，他们就只能在网上寻找。"绿色宠物店副总裁布莱恩-莱特告诉《电子商务时代》。"这就是为什么我相信现在比以往任何时候都更需要消费者有一个简单可靠的网站，他们可以去为他们的宠物购买优质产品。能够为他们提供这样一个空间，我们感到很幸运。"
原文题目：Pet Products and Services Market Takes a Fancy to E-Commerce
原文：Pets and e-commerce are a natural combination, and that's been especially true during the pandemic.
More than two-thirds of American households own at least one pet. As pet owners increasingly opt to shop from home, pet-related companies are stepping up their game to grab a share of industry expenditures forecasted for 2020 to reach approximately $99 billion in the U.S.
The E-Commerce Times spoke with various experts in the field of online pet product sales and services to get their take on trends in this market.
"Right now, in the middle of a pandemic, and certainly true during the early stages of the pandemic, many pet owners have been shopping online out of safety precautions," Steve King, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association, told the E-Commerce Times. "While pet retailers are deemed essential and have remained open during the pandemic for the most part, many pet owners are choosing to play it safe, stay home and order online."
Both pure-play e-commerce companies and those with a combination of physical stores and digital sales are seeing an increase in demand for online purchasing.
"There are a few key online-only retailers such as Amazon and Chewy.com contributing significantly to this trend, who are marketing heavily to pet owners online and really focusing on customer service and retention, competitive pricing, and quality products," said King.
"Also, other major pet retailers like Petco, PetSmart and Walmart are doing more to expand their accessibility to customers and increase their online presence," he added.
Convenience is a large factor driving online pet-related sales. It's often simply easier to shop for pet supplies online, particularly for larger items and products needed regularly.
"From a pet owner's perspective, there's a lot of attraction in having bulky, heavy items delivered right to your doorstep," explained King. "With items like food and litter, for example, that people know they need on a regular basis, being offered an often-reduced pricing on an auto-ship subscription is tough to compete with.
"Pet product manufacturers can target their customers online via influencers or advertisements, and pet owners can click right there on a direct link to read reviews, find out more about the product and ingredients, and have it shipped to their door in just a few days."
Essential Products
Mindful of consumer demand, pet-related companies are increasingly offering a variety of shopping, shipping, delivery, and pick up methods.
"We know safety and convenience remain top priority for consumers, so we continue to enhance our online and app experiences to ensure pet parents can shop safely, without hassle or shipment delays," Darren MacDonald, chief digital and innovation officer for Petco, told the E-Commerce Times. "From a logistical perspective, we believe focusing on BOPUS, curbside, ship-from-store, and online booking processes are crucial to remaining competitive."
Many pet products, after all, are essential -- even when consumers are cutting back in other areas.
"Consumers may not be spending on vacations or trips to the movies, but they're taking great care of their pets, and we expect that to continue," said MacDonald.
Virtual Dog Training
It's not only pet product e-commerce that's seeing a boost. Services such as dog training are increasingly moving online, as well.
"The approaches and techniques taught in online dog training are the same as a trainer would teach to a client in-person," Steffi Trott, owner and founder of SpiritDog Training, told the E-Commerce Times. "We emphasize the same key aspects: making training positive, keeping the reward rate high, motivating the dog to do well, preventing him from rehearsing bad and unwanted behaviors.
"The difference lies in how the content is communicated. While an in-person trainer can literally take the leash into his or her own hands, an online dog trainer has to demonstrate in videos how behaviors are taught. This comes with additional challenges and requirements: only very good teachers can relay information through digital means as well as hands-on."
While the pandemic boosted the demand for online dog training, it's likely that the field will continue seeing expansion even after the pandemic is over.
"The pandemic jump-started online dog training -- as it did many e-learning businesses," explained Trott. "Owners are realizing the value and convenience of training their dog from home. It saves time and money.
"A five-minute session with your dog in your living room can be just as effective as driving to a dog school, spending one hour in a group class and driving home. Because online training lets great training happen with just a little bit of daily time commitment, it makes dog training accessible and feasible for a huge amount of dog owners."
Customer Retention Programs
As the world of pet-related e-commerce continues to grow and develop, experts say the future looks bright for those companies with creative and competitive strategies.
"Online businesses are looking for creative ways to attract and retain customers with the use of trending e-commerce features," Jimmy Rodriguez, COO of 3dcart, told the E-Commerce Times. "A good example is offering an auto-delivery service, allowing pet owners to subscribe to receive pet food or other supplies on a recurring basis.
"For stores with a physical presence, the ability to buy online and pick up in the store has become a unique differentiator and displaying this at checkout is key for this strategy. Some stores, like Lambert Vet Supply, which runs on the 3dcart e-commerce platform, allow customers to create a 'pet profile' and save their pets to their account to allow them to easily order food, supplies, and even prescription medication for their pets."
Online products and services will continue to connect pet owners with e-commerce businesses that give them what they need and want, during the pandemic and beyond.
"Considering pets are family, if owners don't feel comfortable entering the brick-and-mortar pet stores, they'll have to look online," Brian Wright, vice president of The Green Pet Shop, told the E-Commerce Times. "That's why I believe now more than ever it's important for consumers to have an easy and reliable site they can go to for quality products for their pets. We feel lucky to be able to provide such a space for them."
