During the darkest days of the Covid pandemic, amazon experienced some of the same shortages that hit traditional grocery stores. The online giant had trouble keeping its customers supplied with essential items, so it stopped accepting deliveries of less essential items.
People needed toilet paper and hand sanitizer, that's why amazon (AMZN) I had to make some difficult decisions. The company explained its decision in an internal note.
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“We are seeing an increase in online shopping and as a result, some products, such as household essentials and medical supplies, are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household essentials, medical supplies and other high-demand products arriving at our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, replenish and deliver these products to customers.”
The move made sense for amazon, but also created opportunities for rival retailers. In fact, you could argue that the short-term change opened a door for pet supply company Chewy. (BLOW) since amazon did not have many pet essentials during that period.
That forced people who were already amazon customers, who might never have considered shopping elsewhere, to sign up for Chewy. Once that happened, they became satisfied customers and there was no reason for them to return to amazon.
amazon, however, wants to regain some of that business and is making another effort to do so by bringing back its “Pet Day” promotion.
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amazon makes a bold offer to pet owners
amazon Pet Day is essentially a massive sale on the online retailer's pet supply inventory designed to win over pet owners.
“amazon Pet Day is a 48-hour event for U.S. customers that features thousands of products on sale to help you feed, pamper and play with the pets in your life,” the company shared on its website.
It's basically a more focused version of their Prime Day promotions, except it's open to all amazon customers, not just Prime members.
“Starting May 7, pet lovers will have 48 hours to save on pet food, toys, clothing, pet care, household products, electronics and more. Pet owners can start shopping deals anticipated on April 23,” amazon shared. “During amazon Pet Day, you'll find deals on favorite brands like Purina, Merrick, Blue Buffalo, Petmate, HoppScotch.bun, Jinx Pet Food, Halo Collar, Bundle x Joy, Furbo, Genius Litter and more.”
amazon bets on pets
amazon wants to make it clear to pet owners that it is committed to animals in a broad sense. The company shared that it offers pet-friendly workspaces.
“We even make it easy for pets to come to work at many of our offices. We have more than 14,000 dogs registered at more than 135 amazon offices in the US, Canada and Australia thanks to our Dogs at Work program, which offers perks like “designated spaces for dogs to play, dog-friendly events, discounted pet insurance, welcome packages for registered dogs, and of course, free treats. Dogs who come to work at amazon even have their own badges,” the company shared. .
amazon also offers a number of services specifically for pet owners, including:
- amazon Pet Profiles allowing customers to receive personalized recommendations based on their pet's size, breed, and preferences.
- Subscribe and save helping people schedule regular deliveries and save on essentials like pet food, litter, toys, healthcare and more.
- amazon's pet deals page offers coupons, flash deals and more. Savings can range from 10% to over 70% off.
The online retailer will be offering more special deals ahead of its Pet Day promotion.
amazon is a formidable competitor. The shares, which closed Friday at $186.13, down 1.5% from the day's settlement, are up 22.5% this year.
Chewy shares fell 4.9% on Friday to $17.64. They are down 22% so far this year. Founded in 2011, the company went public in 2019 and shares peaked at nearly $120 in early 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Revenue reached $11.1 billion in 2023.
