Surgesinsales.Immunityfromthepandemic’sfinancialdownturn.Andanecommercemarketshareoutpacingonlineretailasawhole.Byeverymetric,thepetindustryrepresentsoneofthemostlucrativeopportunitiesforonlinebrands.Everymetric…exceptone.Despitestrongnumbers,it’sadog-eat-dogworldwiththebiggestofthebigdevouringfarmorethantheirfairshare.Intensecompetitionmarksthepetfood,petcare,andpetsupplieslandscape—especiallymassmerchandiserswhoareprivytohigh-volumesales,theluxuryoflowermargins,andscale.Thetoptwoplayers,PetSmartandPETCO,accountfornearlyhalfofallonlinepetproductrevenue.Amazon’sdebutintowhite-labeledpet-foodchallenges2start-upslackingmethodstoaddressvariablecostslike...