Swiss data show pet supplies are a low-return e-commerce category
Bottom line
Swiss online retailer Galaxus says pet supplies were among its least returned e-commerce categories in 2025, reinforcing the idea that many pet purchases, especially pet food, are relatively predictable, repeat-buy items. Galaxus’ broader 2025 returns report said items in low-return categories averaged a 1.77% return rate, while a trade report citing the company put pet supplies at 1.2% and pet food below 0.5%. Across categories, Galaxus says poor fit or incompatibility remains the leading reason for returns, and the company is expanding product-specific return-reason tracking in 2026 to sharpen merchandising and product information. (galaxus.ch)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the story is less about retail trivia and more about pet-parent purchasing behavior. Low return rates in pet food and supplies suggest repeat purchasing, clearer expectations, and relatively low post-purchase friction compared with fashion-heavy e-commerce. That matters for clinics that sell diets, supplements, or everyday products, because it points to the value of accurate product data, compatibility guidance, and size or fit support for items like harnesses, wearables, or recovery gear. In Switzerland, returns overall have been trending down even as e-commerce remains strong, according to University of St.Gallen researchers, which adds context to why retailers are investing in better product information instead of simply loosening return policies. (unisg.ch)
What to watch: Watch whether Galaxus’ planned rollout of dynamic, product-specific return reasons in 2026 produces more granular insight into which pet categories, such as apparel, carriers, or feeding products, still generate avoidable returns. (galaxus.ch)
Pet supplies appear to be a relatively stable corner of Swiss e-commerce. New reporting tied to Galaxus’ 2025 returns data indicates the category has a low return profile, with a trade report citing pet supplies at 1.2% and pet food at under 0.5%, putting the segment well below the return patterns seen in categories like clothing, watches, jewelry, and sports equipment. Galaxus’ own 2025 recap didn’t publish a pet-specific figure in the English version, but it did say the least returned categories averaged 1.77% and that food, media, beauty, and health products were among the lowest-return groups. (petonline.de)
That fits a longer-running pattern in Galaxus’ data. In a 2023 company analysis, the retailer reported that Swiss customers returned 1.75% of all orders overall, with food and office-related staples rarely sent back. The company attributed those low rates partly to standardization and repeat purchasing: consumers often know what they’re buying because they’ve bought it before. Galaxus has also said its overall return rate is low relative to the broader industry, and that most returned items can be resold, donated, or otherwise kept out of disposal streams. (galaxus.ch)
The 2025 update adds more operational detail. Galaxus said a little under 2% of items bought on its platform are sent back, and that the most common reason is still basic mismatch, meaning products are too big, too small, or not compatible with another item. A pet-industry trade report based on the company’s release said incorrect sizing accounted for 48% of pet-supply returns specifically, which is notable because it suggests the category’s main friction point is concentrated in a narrower subset of products rather than spread evenly across food, accessories, and hardgoods. The same report said pet supplies ranked 13th among product categories by return rate. (galaxus.ch)
There’s also broader Swiss context behind the numbers. University of St.Gallen researchers, using payment data, found that returns in Switzerland have generally been declining since 2022 and were stagnating in 2025, even though e-commerce transactions have increased. Their analysis found online return rates vary sharply by category, with apparel standing out as much higher than electronics or department-store averages. A separate Swiss federal study published by SECO examined the environmental impact of online returns and noted that concerns about waste and transport have pushed closer scrutiny of return practices, even as there is limited evidence that non-food returns in Switzerland are routinely destroyed. (unisg.ch)
Industry reaction from Galaxus itself centers on information quality. Lauritz Fricke, the company’s Head of After Sales & Retail, said returns data are used to improve the shop and assortment, and that the retailer is preparing dynamic return reasons for different products in 2026 to better understand why purchases come back. Galaxus also points to detailed product descriptions, filters, editorial content, and AI buying guides as tools to reduce preventable returns. That framing is consistent with the company’s earlier messaging that better product data and stronger customer guidance help keep return rates low. (galaxus.ch)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, especially those involved in clinic retail, nutrition programs, or client education, the takeaway is practical. Pet parents seem less likely to return routine pet products than they are to return discretionary lifestyle goods, which supports the idea that trust, familiarity, and product clarity matter more than liberal return policies in this category. For clinics selling therapeutic diets, supplements, recovery apparel, mobility aids, or wearables, the weak point appears to be fit and compatibility, not necessarily dissatisfaction with the category itself. That creates an opening for veterinary teams to reduce friction with better sizing help, clearer use instructions, and stronger product recommendations at the point of care. (petonline.de)
It also has implications for margins and sustainability. Returns are expensive to process, and Swiss policymakers and researchers are paying increasing attention to their environmental footprint. If pet products truly sit near the low end of the returns spectrum, that strengthens the case for veterinary-adjacent retail models built around replenishment, continuity, and informed purchasing. In other words, categories tied to ongoing care may be structurally better positioned than more impulse-driven e-commerce segments. That’s an inference from the available data, but it’s supported by Galaxus’ repeat-purchase explanation for standardized goods and by Swiss research showing category differences in return behavior. (galaxus.ch)
What to watch: The next signal will be whether Galaxus’ 2026 product-specific return-reason system reveals more detail within pet supplies, particularly around apparel, harnesses, carriers, feeders, and other fit-sensitive products, and whether other European pet retailers follow with similar transparency on category-level returns. (galaxus.ch)