Post Holdings, Inc. POST is seeing stronger performance in pet food e-commerce than in traditional brick-and-mortar retail channels. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026 earnings call, management identified e-commerce as the fastest-growing channel in the pet category, with both pure-play online platforms and retailers’ e-commerce businesses outperforming physical stores. Within brick-and-mortar retail, mass-market retailers performed slightly better than average, while pet specialty stores underperformed relative to mass retailers.
The company noted that e-commerce was outgrowing every other channel. Post Holdings’ pet food business continues to face category-related volume pressure. Management said that dry dog food accounts for roughly 60% of the company’s pet food portfolio. Dry dog food is underperforming the category, while dog food trends are weaker than cat food, which is growing. Management identified these category dynamics as a headwind but believes its brands can move closer to category-average performance.
Post Holdings is working to improve brand performance through relaunch and assortment initiatives. Its Nutrish brand has shown encouraging results, with the relaunch complete and the assortment focused on core beef, chicken and salmon products. At its largest retailer, Nutrish’s mass stock-keeping units (SKUs) gained share over the latest 13 weeks. Management also reported that fully transitioned Nutrish SKUs were performing in the top third of the category, although the broader transition took longer than expected.
Post Holdings also sees opportunities to expand its premium private-label pet food business by leveraging its manufacturing footprint. Management said that the company primarily produces premium private-label products and believes it is well positioned in this growing segment. In addition, Post Holdings is assessing pet food cost-saving opportunities through portfolio simplification, formula harmonization and potential manufacturing-footprint optimization.
Overall, e-commerce is outperforming other pet food retail channels, while Post Holdings continues to address category-related volume pressure through brand and assortment initiatives. The company is also evaluating opportunities to expand premium private-label production and improve operating efficiency.
How CENT and SJM Leverage E-Commerce for Pet Product Growth
Central Garden and The J. M. Smucker Company are both capitalizing on the growing importance of e-commerce in the pet-products market, with online sales momentum and digital distribution creating opportunities to strengthen brand performance and reach consumers.
The J. M. Smucker Company SJM views e-commerce growth as an important long-term driver for the dog-snacks category, where its Milk-Bone brand remains a key growth platform. In the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Milk-Bone returned to volume/mix growth, although net sales remained flat due to lower net price realization.
The brand also recorded strong double-digit net sales growth in soft and chewy snacks, supported by differentiated offerings such as Milk-Bone Peanut Buttery Bites. SJM continues to focus on marketing, product innovation and strengthening its core biscuit business, while remaining optimistic about the category's prospects, supported by pet population trends, pet humanization and e-commerce growth.
Central Garden & Pet Company CENT is witnessing solid online sales growth across its pet-products business. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, Pet segment online sales increased 10% year over year, aided by a record Prime Day event. E-commerce also accounted for a higher share of the segment's sales mix than the prior year.
Management continues to invest in its brands, product innovation and digital and e-commerce capabilities to support growth. The performance underscores the growing importance of online sales in CENT's Pet business, even as quarterly results showed mixed trends across product categories.
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