The pet food category breaks down into several sub-categories, including wet and dry food, pouches, toppers, and more.  The two largest categories, dry dog food and wet cat food pull in hundreds of millions of dollars a month and have almost 6,000 product offerings combined.  The ratings of the products in these high sales volume categories are also high.  Dry dog food products have an overall average rating of 4.59 stars, while wet cat food listings have an average rating of 4.37 stars. 

These factors make competing in the pet food category tough.  Let's look at how the winners are winning in this month's Retail Recon.

Top 10 Performing Products in “Dog Food”

Dry dog food owns most of the revenue in this category, with Purina and Blue Buffalo taking most of the top 10 best-seller spots. The way fulfillment is handled in this category is unique compared to other high sales velocity categories on Amazon.    Because of the size of the item and margins on shipping, around 40% of fulfillment is shipped by the merchant, though most sales go to listings that are Prime-eligible.

Size of Dog Food Market

The dog food category on Amazon boasts an average rating of 4.37 stars, surpassing the benchmark of 4.0. While noteworthy, it is also attainable given the competition in this market.

The average number of reviews per listing is 1,757 reviews, which is also significantly high. Not surprising for a highly saturated category such as this one. This means gaining competitive examinations must be a long-term goal for sellers looking to distinguish themselves from their competitors in this crowded marketplace.

Top 10 Performing Products in “Cat Food”

Purina dominates the cat food category, grabbing the top three spots and over half of the top 10.  Only three of the best sellers in the category are wet foods.  

Size of Cat Food Market

The cat food offers on Amazon have an average 4.36-star rating, similar to the Dog Food Category and above the 4.0 benchmark. However, the high likelihood of shoppers returning to leave reviews sets this category apart. This trend indicates a higher level of engagement and loyalty from cat food shoppers compared to their counterparts in the dog food category. As with the dog food category, gaining reviews in the cat food category remains a long-term goal for many sellers who aim to stand out in this competitive market.

Pet Food Search Trends

When it comes to pet food on Amazon, it's clear that some brands have a significant advantage in terms of search volume. Fancy Feast, Blue Buffalo, and Hill Science are among the top brands with incredibly high search volumes.

Product descriptors, like dry, grain, and canned, are used often and have an incredibly high frequency compared to more niche markets.

A Closer Look at 3 Top Brands in Pet Food on Amazon

Great item content must address three objectives: winning the search, click, and sale. 

You're competing in a sea of thousands of SKUs to win the search and appear in those crucial top search results page spots. You've got to have a great, search-optimized copy. 

To win the click means grabbing the attention of the shopper reviewing dozens of items on a search results page.  You've got to have a compelling main product image and title, the correct quantity and quality ratings and reviews, plus incentives like competitive pricing, coupons, or displayed discounts.

To win the sale, your listing page needs content highlighting your product's point of difference and eliminating barriers to purchase.  The listing page's job is to make the shopper see this in their life and wants it now.

Let's take a look at how 3 top brands are doing at these objectives.

Blue Buffalo

Image source: Amazon.com

On this top-selling dry dog food listing, the branding is powerful.  They have a bright, consistent approach and use excellent video content in their listing images.

Image source: Amazon.com

Blue Buffalo's A+ content provides in-depth descriptions of product benefits, the company mission statement, and details of its whole product line.

Image source: Amazon.com

The brand store for Blue Buffalo is well organized, with many options.  It is focused on providing insight into available products and is consistent with the look and feel of the products across Amazon.  However, the customer could feel overwhelmed by the number of options and images inside the brand store.

Our Grades for Blue Buffalo:  

Win the Search

They are strategic with the keywords but include almost too many, which may be less enticing for the shopper and harder to read.

Win the Click

The titles identify category and benefit, the main product shows quantity, and the reviews are plentiful and positive.  The search result information for Blue Buffalo gives the pertinent information, including price, count, and coupons. The main product image appears to be a rendered image rather than a photo of the product.

Win the Sale

The listing video is informative and appealing, and the PDP includes an in-depth description of the product ingredients and benefits.

Purina Pro Plan

Image source: Amazon.com

This top listing from Purina Pro Plan has strong iconography, a sleek video that outlines the portfolio, and the listing copy outlines benefits with easily scannable bullets.

Image source: Amazon.com

The brand's A+ content includes simple, attractive lifestyle imagery and more of the strong iconography we saw in the listing.  Some of the header copy is too wordy, losing scannability.  It includes a nice portfolio overview, though it's not as strong as Blue Buffalo.

Image source: Amazon.com

The brand store is understated compared to Blue Buffalo and showcases high visibility to the video content.

Our Grades for Purina Pro Plan:  

Win the Search

Outstanding balance between keywords and readability.

Win the Click

The title identifies category and benefits, while the main product image is an optimized image that shows quantity. The rating is high, and there are tons of reviews.

Win the Sale

The listing video is simple and informative but needs a lifestyle element. The PDP includes a depth of description of product ingredients and benefits.

Rachel Ray Nutrish

Image Source: Amazon.com

Image source: Amazon.com

Rachel Ray Nutrish's top cat and dog food listings have little iconography compared to Blue Buffalo or ProPlan. It does feature simple solid lifestyle imagery.  It features a video that is the same video used on the brand's dog food listings.

Image source: Amazon.com

The A+ content is pretty lackluster for Rachel Ray Nutrish.  Its basic header plus three-window module provides no video, opportunity for interaction, or product highlights.

Image source: Amazon.com

There are some amusing, eye-catching animated GIFs in the Nutrish brand store, plus a nice category breakout.  It also highlights incentives to buy, like a round-up of Prime-eligible and Amazon Fresh items.  There's no video inside the brand store.

Our Grades for Rachel Ray Nutrish

Win the Search

It's missing essential keyword phrases in the copy.

Win the Click

The title identifies the category and benefit; the main product images show weight.  Reviews are plentiful and positive, and coupons are available.

Win the Sale

The listing video is informative and appealing, but the A+ content leaves something to be desired.  Imagery is welcoming, and the emphasis on real ingredients is well executed.

Final Thoughts

Pet food is a highly competitive category on Amazon. While dry dog food and wet cat food are the largest subcategories, numerous product offerings are in all categories, making it challenging to compete. Ratings for the best-selling products in these subcategories are high, so brands entering the space have to grab reviews and ratings in high volume to establish a reputation.

Is your brand achieving a competitive advantage and standing out in this crowded marketplace?

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