New research shows that while just four per cent of consumers are currently receiving subscription pet supplies, 17 per cent are considering it.
The study by PayPal, showed that Gen Z are the most likely to subscribe to receive supplies and are also the largest group considering doing so with 30 per cent pondering the option.
Mike Halligan, Co-Founder of subscription pet food service Scratch, acknowledged they have a large number of under 40s signed up, but said there are other reasons people use Scratch, such as older owners and people living rurally.
“Most people don’t buy Scratch because they want dog food delivered on subscription. They buy Scratch because we view it as a plan for managing their dog’s health, so the customer service we provide, and the various parts of the product experience all contribute to that.”
Over the past year subscription services have seen challenges such as supply chain issues and delays due to Australia’s postal networks being overwhelmed.
Earlier in the year, Melbourne-based Scratch found itself $150,000 out of pocket and having to set up its own delivery system due to delays by Australia Post.
Some subscribers were forced to wait up to five weeks for their order, which Halligan says could influence the willingness of consumers to continue using subscription services.
“Every bad experience with a subscription of any sort makes people worried about joining up with another subscription business. Sadly, many websites and customer experiences are very clunky, relying on the basic options that platforms offer out of the box and failing to give people flexibility. Every bad subscription experience hurts the good ones unfortunately.”