A marketplace with Zooplus

Geoffroy Lefebvre, CEO of Zooplus, already reported last summer: "The upcoming launch of the marketplace will expand our product range and ensure that we fulfil the needs of all pet owners". The aim is to put the customer at the centre and focus entirely on developing products and services that meet their needs.

The company's major speciality to date has been dog and cat food. In product areas such as rodents, birds and aquariums, however, there is a need to catch up. "Around 30 per cent of aquarium owners also have a dog or cat, for example," reported Pierre-Yves Delforge, Vice President of the Marketplace at Zooplus, at the International Pet Conference. In general, Zooplus believes that accessories are very profitable for the pet industry. Zooplus therefore wants to work with its partner companies to expand its product range.

According to Delforge, Zooplus also has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to offering pet-related services for pet owners. These include pet insurance, GPS trackers, everything for travelling with pets, a digital vet, special services for breeders, etc.

"We are strongly focussed on branded products," explained Delforge. However, Zooplus does not want to become the "temple of the pet industry", but instead wants to concentrate primarily on safe, proven and reliable products for pet owners. He emphasised the visibility in the shop and the comprehensive and reliable cooperation with Zooplus as advantages for the marketplace partners. The opportunities to reach new customer groups are also immense and a comparatively inexpensive and effective marketing tool.

"The development of new customer groups is one of the most costly activities of a company," emphasises Delforge. He reports that Zooplus can draw on 25 years of experience in acquiring new customers, from which the partners ultimately also benefit greatly. The partners themselves decide on the product ranges offered and the pricing. They are supported by Zooplus primarily in matters of presen­tation and integration on the Zooplus…